In Pursuit of the Green Dragon
by Sharibet
Summary: FMA/Inuyasha. Searching for a way back home, the Elric brothers pass through the Bone-eater’s Well. Can they help defeat Naraku, recover the Shikon no Tama, and return to Amestris before Ed and Inuyasha kill each other? IY Fanguild 2nd place Q3 08
1. Prologue

**Author's note**: this story is a birthday present for my longtime friend Pam (aka Pamela Regina), who wanted to see Inuyasha and Edward Elric, two hot-tempered, golden-eyed boys, interact.

Spoilers for all FMA episodes and _Conqueror of Shamballa_ movie. I'm not following any particular timeline for _Inuyasha_, but possible spoilers for all episodes of the anime series, and through chapter 530 of the _Inuyasha_ manga.

**Obligatory Disclaimer**: _Inuyasha_ created by Rumiko Takahashi. _Fullmetal Alchemist_ created by Hiromu Arakawa.

--

**Leeds, Yorkshire, England, April, 1924**

"Fuck, Alphonse, what did you _do_ to yourself?" Edward Elric bellowed as he entered the dingy little flat that he shared with his younger brother, and saw the blood.

There was a lot of it, staining Alphonse's shirtfront and sleeves, and trails of drops speckling the gray kitchen linoleum. Ed's heart gave an unpleasant leap and he suddenly felt as if his ribcage had grown a size too small.

His brother was sitting at their small kitchen table, which was covered with a heap of gears and springs and a clock casing, and the chalked outline of what looked like a transmutation circle, marred by more blood.

_Puddles_ of blood.

And, worst of all, Al--always-cheerful, always-smiling Al--was _crying. _As Ed entered, Al wiped furiously at his eyes, leaving reddish smears across his pale, freckled face from the blood-soaked handkerchief bound around his left hand.

Ed dropped his books and satchel of papers in the doorway of their dingy little flat, and crossed the room in four strides.

"Brother--I—didn't mean--" But Al couldn't seem to stop sobbing long enough to talk, and Ed saw his brother becoming angrier and angrier at himself as he tried to control himself, and only ended up crying harder.

"Shhh, it's okay, Al." Ed bent and caught his brother in a hug, patting his back. "You can tell me what happened later, okay?" As if he hadn't already guessed.

Al reached up and clung to him, hiding his face in the front of Ed's wool jacket. "Brother--" he started again, and his next sob came as a wordless howl.

He wept for a long time, his whole body shaking, his fingers digging into the biceps of Ed's flesh arm.

Finally, as the gloomy afternoon faded to twilight outside, he wound down. Ed reached into his pocket and handed his brother a clean--well, cleaner than Al's handkerchief, which was probably ruined--handkerchief. Al accepted it, and blew his nose with a snuffling honk.

"You ready to talk about it now?" Ed pulled up the kitchen's other chair with a long scrape, and sat down, wearily rubbing at his eyes. They felt itchy after a long day in the university's chemistry lab, and he had the beginnings of a headache. He might need glasses soon, but...not yet.

_We can't afford them right now._

Al nodded. "You remember how I offered to fix Professor Carr's clock?" He sighed again, and stared gloomily at the pile of cogs and assorted other clock-innards on the table before him. "Well I took it apart--you know that _I_ know how it's supposed to go back together!" His voice rose to a near-wail. "But I just couldn't--I didn't have the right tools--and then it wouldn't--"

"And so you tried to use alchemy," Ed finished for him. He could picture the scene: his brother, frustrated with the slow process of making his fingers replicate what he already understood in his brilliant mind, had chalked a transmutation circle and cut his palm in an attempt to trigger an alchemical reaction. Only, in his frustration, he must have cut too deeply, and the cut would not stop bleeding.

Ed could have told him not to bother. Last autumn, he had discovered that his blood, the blood of someone born on the other side of the Gate, could serve as a catalyst--but only a weak one--to trigger a transmutation. Only, no matter how often Ed had cut himself, or how elaborate the transmutation circle he designed, the transmutation simply sputtered out after a few seconds, without achieving anything.

Al was still talking, the words tumbling out of him in an avalanche of words. "...and I'm eighteen, Brother, but everyone treats me like I'm thirteen, because that's how old I look and I _hate _it..." he trailed off, his weathered-bronze eyes reddened and shiny, and sat down again with a sigh.

"At least you're taller than me," Ed offered, cautiously, not quite sure of how to deal with Al's unsettled mood. His brother was usually the calm one, and the designated soother of Ed's easily-bruised temper.

"I want to go home," Al said softly.

"Me, too," Ed admitted.

He knew better than to remind his brother that they had permanently sealed the gates that linked this world to theirs.

Last November, after Dietlinde Eckhart's abortive invasion of their home country of Amestris, on the other side of the gate, they asked Roy Mustang to destroy the gate that Al had created in his quest to reunite with his older brother.

At the same time, Ed and Al had returned to this place--this dismal, dreary world where alchemy did not work and events seemed to be marching inevitably towards another war--and had managed to destroy the transmutation circles that had opened a second gate at Professor Heinrich Haushofer's Bavarian villa.

The remnants of the shattered Thule organization had managed to drive them away before they were able to do more. In the months since then, they had not been successful in tracking down the uranium bomb brought through the Gate to this world.

With the financial and political situation in Germany growing more dire by the week, the brothers had left the country around just after Christmas.

Using the forged identity papers that Hohenheim had provided before his death, Ed had enrolled as a graduate student at Leeds University, known for its chemistry department, and he spent his days working as Professor Carr's research assistant while trying to find some mention of the elusive uranium or any mysterious developments in this world's understanding of physics.

Al was right. It was useless. _They_ were useless here, stripped of their ability to use alchemy.

Ed forced himself to grin at Al. "Then, let's do it," he said, with more confidence than he felt. "We'll find a way home. If we managed to open a gate once, then we can do it again."

Al's face lit up behind the blotchy tearstains and the smears of dried blood. "Brother!"

"But first," Ed said, firmly. "We have to call a doctor and get this stitched."

Al nodded, still smiling, and Ed firmed up his resolve.

Only the transmutation of a homunculus could open the Gate between the worlds. And this world only contained one homunculus that he knew of—Envy, last seen bound and captive at Haushofer's villa.

They would find Envy, Ed swore silently. Find him and use him to go home.


	2. A Meeting of Devils

03

Eastern Japan, late 16th century

Coming through the Gate was the worst mistake Envy had ever made. He'd been looking for _more_ power, not less. And he certainly hadn't wanted to end up in a place that could dilute the power of the red stones embedded in his flesh

It was all the Fullmetal Shrimp's fault. That little shit and his father. Everything was their fault. _Everything._

Trapped in his dragon form, Envy bore the indignities of his capture by human scum, and waited for his opportunity. He would take revenge where he could get it, but more than anything, he needed to find someone in this forsaken world who could perform the alchemy that had always been denied him.

Then--miracle of miracles--the Shrimp appeared, cocky as ever. And Envy, wounded to the point of near-immobility, raged as he found himself unable to do anything with the chance handed to him on a silver platter. Instead, the little shit used _him_ to open a Gate.

It was too much. Better to explode from rage now and end his miserable existence, than live like this, transfixed with spears, his blood extracted from him cupful by cupful, while ignorant humans tried to figure out his power.

He could have told them, of course, but there wasn't anything in it for him. So he remained stubbornly silent.

Then the Shrimp came back--back to this desolate place, confirming Envy's opinion that Hohenheim's son was batshit crazy--but he had managed to do _something_ right, because the other kid, the one who had been nothing but a soul bound to armor, was with him, and wearing a human body once more.

A blaze of violence, and the all-too-brief but still satisfying crunch of Hohenheim's flesh and bones between his fangs, and then they were gone, leaving him still captive in the hands of the humans who called themselves the Thule Society.

Once more, Envy had been presented with an opportunity that he couldn't exploit. The universe hated him.

What followed was more indignity--long weeks in the dark hold of a ship, engines throbbing ceaselessly around him, and then yet another prison in a country called Japan. This time, he was imprisoned in a shack that taunted him with the possibilities of fresh air and freedom, bound with heavy chains and kept weakened by regular bleedings.

His new captor, a human named Souta Higurashi, was a dead ringer for the Fullmetal Shrimp's commanding officer back home. Envy quickly learned that his new jailor had two fatal flaws: curiosity and compassion, and despite being trapped in dragon form, Envy played those flaws for all he was worth. It was the only ticket he had out of this hellhole. He had to find a way to use it.

So he bided as patiently as he knew how, and played a game of seduction with his captor. Back home, he had loved to play with his victims. He could make himself look like anyone, and string them along. Make them do whatever he wanted.

He was kind, he was reasonable, he was as rational as his rage could bear.

And it seemed to work. Day after day, his captor returned, offering him useless tidbits of meat and vegetables, and with the food, something that Envy found truly useful: information.

Then the earthquake hit. His prison fell to pieces around him, but he was still held captive by the heavy manacles that were attached to stakes driven deep into the ground.

Once again, the universe fucking hated him.

Except, this time, it didn't.

While he raged silently, his captor appeared, offering a simple bargain. And, miracle of miracles, he freed Envy from his chains, and showed him a place where he could escape to.

_Hurry,_ he said. _The others will be here soon. _

Envy suppressed his urge to tear his captor limb-to-limb, and frantically slithered under fallen beams, feeling roof tiles crunch and shatter beneath his clawed feet. Jagged wreckage gouged long scrapes along his sinuous length, as he squeezed himself head-first down a narrow hole. His blood dripped into his eyes, and fell in fat drops on the dirt at the bottom of the well.

_What? Another fucking dead-end?_ He stopped, his hind legs still clinging to the rim of the well, and glared at the priest, who was chanting and waving a stick crowned with strips of white paper.

Envy was going to fucking _kill_ Higurashi for tricking him! Then his luck finally turned. The bottom of the well disappeared in a blaze of rose-colored light, and he could see stars beyond the shifting curtain of light.

_What the hell?_ Higurashi hadn't misled him after all. This was another Gate, though different from the ones summoned with alchemy.

Envy released his grip on the well, and fell down, down, down though a void of stars.

oo0oo

The world on the other side of the well was a primitive one. Mountains and villages and peasants, mostly, and the soldiers armed with only spears and arrows. No guns, no machinery, and, best of all, no alchemy.

It was paradise for a homunculus.

But what this world _did_ have, was power of a different kind. And it fed his red stones, awakening them after their long torpor, though they were still too sluggish to allow him to shape-shift out of his dragon form.

Envy quickly learned that the humans didn't have much of this power, so eating them was pretty damned useless, though he enjoyed the screaming. But there were other beings in the world, strange beings that the humans named _youkai,_ who brimmed with power.

Envy began hunting the youkai, the small ones at first, then working his way up to the larger ones. His red stones hummed with the lives they had absorbed, giving him power to draw on for transformations.

It was convenient to stay in his dragon-shape for the most part, though he did occasionally shift into the shape of something helpless-looking--a woman, a child, a wounded veteran of this world's endless human wars--to lure his prey.

All in all, it was a pretty good life.

But he still felt empty. All the youkai in this world couldn't fill up the gap left by the lack of a soul. And without a soul, he'd never be able to make that final connection, and take full advantage of his power. This had been his problem back home, the problem he thought he could solve by crossing through the Gate.

He'd been powerful there, too, powerful but empty. And so very jealous of Hohenheim's sons, who had been granted what he never had: a soul.

Then, one day, a youkai clad in a white baboon skin appeared at the gates of Envy's fortress and sought audience.

Envy had captured this castle several months ago, by the simple yet effective method of devouring its lord in the courtyard. Since then, he had had some difficulty hiring servants, but then again, no had dared to try to recapture the castle. None of the remaining soldiers questioned his orders, and the peasants paid their taxes promptly. It was a pretty sweet deal.

"And who the hell are you?" Envy asked, when his uninvited visitor had been ushered into the castle's audience hall. The only reason he hadn't yet devoured his caller was that he sensed only the merest trickle of power resident in the baboon skin-clad form.

"I am but a messenger." The baboon-masked head cocked curiously, studying Envy's sleek green coils. "You are not a youkai," it stated, finally.

Envy studied him in return. _A messenger._ _But from whom?_ "Yeah, and?"

Baboon-mask inclined its head. "I bear greetings from Naraku, the most powerful demon in Japan. He has heard of your exploits, and wishes to meet with you."

"Why?" Envy purposely uncoiled a little in the confined space of the small audience hall, crowding Baboon-mask against one of the painted screens.

The people of this place didn't believe in furniture, which was all to the good when he was in his dragon-shape.

"There is a matter that he wishes your assistance with."

"Too bad." Envy yawned. "Not interested."

Baboon-mask chuckled. "Not even if he offers you your heart's desire?"

Envy dropped his pretense of boredom. "Impossible."

"Anything is possible for the one who possesses the Shikon no Tama. Come, and see."

oo0oo

With the baboon-masked thing as his guide, Envy traveled inland for several days from his fortress in the coastal hills, climbing steadily into mountainous highlands. The early spring weather was mild, with cold nights, but the tree branches were already budding with silvery green, and the meadows and clearings were sprinkled with the first tender green shoots and wildflowers.

Then they entered a desolate valley of withered grass and bare-branched trees, and Envy saw a tile-roofed fortress perched on the cliffs at the end of the valley. An aura of immense and tainted power hung over the fortress like dark storm clouds, though it was a sunny afternoon, with air as clear and tangy as high-grade sakè.

Baboon-mask led him to the lowest gate of the castle. "My master awaits you inside," it said, then vanished in a smear of foul purple miasma.

Envy contemplated the stone-lined staircase beyond the massive wooden gate with distaste. His dragon-form would never fit through the narrow passage up into the fortress.

He could simply force his way through, destroying anything that hindered him. That was how he had won the fortress he now called home.

But why piss off the castle's owner before he had a chance to see what kind of an offer that the self-proclaimed most powerful demon in Japan made him?

If he didn't like what he heard, he could always destroy this fortress on his way out.

Envy grinned, and, calling upon the power of the lives he had devoured, he changed his shape into something suitable for visiting a castle.

He chose the androgynous face and form he had worn for so many centuries, but added the rich robes and paired swords worn by noblemen of this world.

Then he passed through the gates that stood open before him.

oo0oo

Except for the aura of power, the castle appeared totally deserted at first. Envy climbed up into the heart of the fortress along zig-zagging paths and stone staircases built into the face of the cliff, until he came to the walled courtyard.

Like the surrounding countryside, the castle grounds were bare of any ornamental plants or even weeds. The courtyard was a large space, paved with gravel, and marred by huge pits and gouges, as if someone had shelled this place using artillery, and there was faint but persistent odor of decay permeating the air here.

The courtyard was surrounded by one- and two-story buildings, all apparently deserted.

His patience rapidly evaporating, Envy looked around. No one appeared to greet him. _If this is a joke of some kind..._

The sun had disappeared below the horizon while he made his way here, and in the twilight shadows, he saw oil lamps suddenly flare to life, casting a golden glow through the hanging screens of split bamboo that covered the entrance to a single-story audience hall directly ahead.

He strode across the scarred courtyard, pushed aside the bamboo screens over the entrance to the hall, and came face-to-face with a nobleman sitting cross-legged on a low dais.

Dark hair flowed in carefully-arranged locks over the shoulders of his robes, and his face was young, almost feminine in its beauty. Only his gaze, burning like the bloody heart of a polished garnet, revealed his age and his power.

"You wanted to see me?" Envy asked, stepping onto the dais and sitting down next to his host with calculated insolence. "Naraku," he added, deliberately and without honorifics.

Naraku shot him a baleful glance, then inclined his head. "Envy-sama, you do me a great favor," he murmured, a courtesy that didn't fool Envy.

Envy responded with a razor-sharp smile. "Let's just say your messenger was pretty convincing."

"You are a stranger to Japan," Naraku said, musingly. "You have many of the powers of youkai, yet my informants tell me that you are not a youkai. You intrigue me."

"So glad to hear it," Envy said, leaning back comfortably on one elbow. He could sense the other's irritation, and wondered how far he would need to push this Naraku before something really interesting--and _fun_--happened.

Naraku sighed. "What, exactly, are you? And where did you come from?"

_Nosy son of a bitch._ Envy shrugged. "It's difficult to explain."

"I would be most interested in hearing your story. Ah, but I've been remiss," Naraku murmured, proffering a small, shallow cup, and a glazed jug. "Sakè?"

Envy reached for the cup, and felt Naraku's fingers brush his.

Instantly, a questing tendril of power invaded him.

"You bastard," Envy snarled, and snatched back his hand.

Naraku smiled, sweet as poisoned honey, and lowered his eyes, seemingly intent on filling the cup he held with a thin stream of clear liquid from the jug.

"Not a youkai. But certainly not human.," he mused. "You remind me of that _miko,_ made of baked clay and bones, and energized only by the souls of the dead, and her own desire for vengeance..." He held out the cup. "You are empty. But I can change that."

This time, Envy made no move to reach for the proffered cup. "I am a homunculus, an artificial being. I am immortal, and faster and stronger than any human and any youkai I've met. I don't need anything from you--"

"Are you so certain of that? I sense that there are great things you could do, if a certain part of you were not missing," Naraku murmured. He set down the cup and jug next to Envy, and spread his hand invitingly over them. "I could give you one, you know."

"Give me _what?"_ Envy asked. He knew he had lost control of this conversation, and it bothered him.

Naraku filled a second cup, and sipped from it before replying. "A soul, to complete you."

Envy felt a chill. What _else_ had Naraku discovered, in that brief instant of invasion? He sneered to cover his discomfort. "Now, why would I want a puny human soul?"

Those garnet eyes seemed to look right through him. Then he glanced to a corner of the reception hall, and made a summoning gesture. "Kanna."

A little girl, pale and colorless as a ghost, stepped forward, cradling a large mirror in her arms.

"I agree that a human soul would not prove much of a bargain," continued Naraku. "But how about something much more heady...?"

The little girl tilted the mirror in Envy's direction, and clouds swirled and parted in the polished surface, revealing a beautiful and inhuman being, with waist-length silver hair, a brow marked with a crescent moon, and an air of immense pride and confident strength.

"For instance, consider the soul of a taiyoukai. And not just any taiyoukai--the son and heir of the Inu no Taisho, who was one of Japan's greatest demons."

Envy observed the taiyoukai for a few moments. He looked every inch a prince among demons, even trailed by two incongruous followers--a young human girl, and a tiny, bird-beaked imp.

"Sounds interesting," he admitted, at last. "But what do _you_ want in return?"

"To see that particular taiyoukai defeated. His presence is proving a...hindrance to my plans," Naraku said. "It would truly be a matter of killing two birds with a one stone, so to speak."

"Mmm-hm." Envy kept his tone neutral, trying to conceal the sudden surge of interest in Naraku's offer. "For the sake of argument--not that I'm agreeing to anything, mind you --let's say that I agree to go bag this taiyoukai for you. How are you gonna arrange the soul transfer?"

Naraku smiled again, and reached into his robes. When he opened his fist, a cracked jewel glowed in his palm like a tainted, luminous rose. "Behold, a piece of the Shikon no Tama. With it, I can do anything, even defeat gods. Binding this youkai's soul to your flesh would be child's play."

The semi-circular fragment drew Envy's gaze, and he found it hard to look away. But something still wasn't adding up…

"Hmmm," said Envy. "Let me see if I've got this straight. You say that this jewel of yours has the power to do anything. So why hire _me_ to get rid of this guy…what did you say his name was, again?"

Naraku blinked. _Gotcha!_ thought Envy. _What, do I look stupid or something? _

"There are...certain restrictions on my own power," he said, finally, his tone grudging.

In the next instant, Envy swore that he could see Naraku's form ripple and bulge somehow, as if he were not a young man at all, but rather a shifting mass of..._somethings.._.all trying to escape in different directions.

"But the hour grows late. " Naraku rose, and Envy sensed that the interview was an end. "Please enjoy the hospitality of my castle tonight. I would be most grateful if you would give my offer your full consideration. And, to prove my sincerity--" He closed his palm, and the Shikon no Tama vanished. When he opened his hand again, and extended it in Envy's direction, Envy saw a tiny, glowing splinter resting on his palm. "A shard of the Shikon no Tama. See its power for yourself."

Envy accepted the crystal shard. It hummed with strange energy, every bit as powerful as his own red stones, but with a different quality, as if the lives used to make this particular Philosopher's Stone had been youkai, rather than human. _Very interesting_.

"Now, I will bid you goodnight. Kanna will show you to your room. We will speak again in the morning." Naraku turned, and Envy suddenly felt as if the other youkai were in a hurry to leave. But why?

Outside, the last sullen glimmers of autumn twilight burned on the western horizon as Envy followed the pale little girl across the courtyard and into one of the other buildings.

oo0oo

If this Naraku had been studying him, thought Envy a few hours later, then he hadn't done a very good job. Homunculi did not need to eat anything except the red stones, nor did they need to sleep.

Which is why he had kicked over the dinner tray that Kanna had brought him, was now restlessly pacing around his futon as the moon rose.

To ease his boredom, he began playing with the jewel splinter he had been given, testing it to see what he could do.

It certainly eased his ability to flow from one shape to another, and better yet, Envy was able to complete his transformations without feeling any of the power from his red stones drain away.

Now, what else, could he do with this thing?

He pictured a transmutation circle, perfectly envisioned thanks to the alchemic expertise force-fed him by his passage through the gate.

Up until this point, he had dismissed this as useless knowledge--without souls, none of the homunculi could perform transmutations.

But now...now, he felt a new and different kind of energy pulsing through him, begging him to be released.

How had the Fullmetal Shrimp performed his alchemy without chalk or circle? The answer came to him in a flood of images and Gate-fueled knowledge.

Envy pictured a transmutation circle, clapped his hands to complete the circle, and immediately, the blue fire of transmutation sprang up. _Decomposition, understanding, reconstruction._

But then it died again when he found himself unable to channel the energy that lingered just outside his grasp, unable to force it to flow across the gap inside of him. But he had _almost_ succeeded this time. Almost, with the aid of the jewel splinter.

At that moment, Envy knew he wanted the rest of the Shikon no Tama. Leaving his room, he set out in search of it.

He would find it, if he had to tear apart this castle stone by stone, and its owner limb-by-limb.

oo0oo

Stealing the jewel proved easier than Envy had imagined. Letting his senses expand to seek the energies that powered the jewel shard newly-embedded in his flesh, Envy stalked through the castle.

There were no retainers, and no youkai in any of the rooms he searched. The fortress was deserted except for the skeletons piled in the corners and the heavy clouds of demonic energy...and the steady pulse of energy from the jewel, echoing through Envy's consciousness as if the Shikon no Tama was calling to him.

Following that call, he descended down into the lower levels of the castle, where a warren of storerooms lay. The pulse grew steadily stronger as he found a trapdoor in the wooden floor of the lowest level, and opened it, to find a cellar carved from the living rock of the castle's foundations.

He climbed cautiously down a rough wooden ladder and found the room filled with a writhing mass of youkai. The nude, pale body of the young man who called himself Naraku lay on the floor of the cellar, his eyes closed, his huge demonic aura dissipated to almost nothing as assorted youkai struggled to emerge from his chest, his torso, even his head.

And next to Naraku's head lay the jewel, a glowing blackish-pink incomplete orb.

Envy could move with blinding speed when he chose to. And the souls trapped in the jewel were calling to him, making him promises that he couldn't quite hear…

oo0oo

He left Naraku's castle in the form of a giant raven, escaping through the night with great beats of his wings.

With the jewel throbbing in his grasp, he needed only a soul to finally be complete. And Naraku, in his hubris, had given Envy the key to exactly what he needed.

Once he had found and conquered the taiyoukai, Envy would combine magic and alchemy, and rule this world...


	3. Lunch at Stonehenge

01

_The Plain of Salisbury, England, April, 1925_

It _had_ to work this time. They had tried every other place in the British Isles.

Edward met his brother's determined gaze, and drew the pocketknife across his left palm, the flesh one. Across from him, on the other end of the large tarpaulin inked with an intricate transmutation circle, Al did the same. The red drops fell, kindling the blue glow of transmutation.

"Ready...steady...go!" Al chanted, and Ed clapped for good luck, then placed his hands, palm-down, on the edge of the transmutation circle, and threw all of his concentration into activating it. Alphonse did the same.

The blue glow steadied and brightened...but not enough. Not nearly enough.

Dipping deep into the limited funds afforded them by Ed's pay as a research assistant, the brothers had purchased a large roll of canvas the previous summer, and painstakingly recreated the transmutation circle that had opened a portal to their home world eighteen months ago.

They had used Ed's breaks from the university to lug the painted canvas transmutation circle all around the British Isles, spreading it out and attempting to activate it at every site rumored to have mystical properties. But, no matter where they went, the transmutation triggered by their blood always glowed weakly, then sputtered out.

Just like it did now.

"Fuck it!" Ed swore, and tried vainly to channel more energy into it, with the same results as always.

The transmutation dwindled away, leaving them in the midst of the circle of standing stones located in a large field crowded with grazing sheep.

Whatever mystical force Stonehenge possessed, it was _not_ a gate between the parallel worlds of this place and their home.

"Brother!" Al said, automatically, as he did every time Ed swore, but there was no heat to his reprimand this time.

They stared at each other in dismay. Another failure.

"Well, Brother, is there any place left to try?" Al asked in their native Amestrian. He was hunched over a little, but Ed couldn't tell whether it was from disappointment, or from the cold spring wind.

"A couple of stone circles in Brittany, and then maybe we'll have to go overseas. From what I've read, the Egyptian pyramids might be a possibility..." Ed replied, unwilling to admit defeat.

Al sat back on his heels. Wistfully, he said, "I wish Miss Noah hadn't left us. She might've known other places to try."

Ed scowled. He hated failing at anything, and disappointing his little brother was even worse.

But he and Noah had parted ways shortly after Alfons Heiderich's funeral, which only confirmed his belief that she had been in love with his roommate.

His brother Al's startling resemblance to the late Heiderich, especially once Al hit a growth spurt, had clearly unsettled her, and when the brothers decided to cross the Channel and take up their quest in England, Noah bade them farewell, and joined a Romany caravan headed south to Provence.

"I'll think of something!" Ed said fiercely, clenching his ungloved hands, and heard the familiar clink of the automail fingers in his right hand as they curled against the metal of his palm. "Maybe we can--"

"What on earth is this? It looks quite intriguing," a cheerful voice interrupted from behind Ed. The voice was speaking Amestrian--an odd dialect, to be sure, but comprehensible.

Al's eyes widened in shock. "Colonel Mustang!" he squeaked.

Edward's head whipped around, and he felt his heart skip a beat. Standing right behind Ed, and leaning forward to study the transmutation circle with an expression of keen interest, was Roy Mustang.

_Not the Colonel,_ Ed realized, after blinking several times and regaining his breath. This man must be Roy's doppelganger, just as Alfons Heiderich had been Al's.

_This_ Roy looked several years younger than the Colonel, and he did not have the Colonel's eye-patch. The stranger was clad in tweed trousers and a matching tweed jacket, and carried a walking stick. His bearing was decidedly unmilitary.

"Forgive me for eavesdropping, but I haven't spoken Japanese since I left home, and hearing it makes me miss my native land," the man said, dropping his gaze under Ed's intense stare, and returning to his study of the transmutation circle.

"We weren't speaking _Japanese,"_ Ed muttered, scrambling to hastily roll up the canvas.

"Ah, please forgive me, but in that case, it is truly remarkable that we can understand each other!" said the man who was not Roy Mustang.

_Persistent bastard,_ thought Ed, as he finished rolling up the cloth, and fastened the ties to secure it.

"If you will permit me to introduce myself," not-Mustang continued, with a polite bow, "my name is Souta Higurashi, from the country of Japan."

"That's nice," Ed said shortly, willing Higurashi-not-Mustang to just go away and leave them alone.

"Brother!" came Al's familiar reprimand. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. I'm Alphonse Elr--er, Heiderich," he continued, using the alias he had adopted after inheriting Alfons' identity papers, "and this is my older brother, Edward Elric, and we're really very pleased to meet you!"

The man's brows raised in false surprise. Ed knew that expression--back home, Mustang had used it a lot, usually while he was reading Ed's mission reports. "Elric? You would not, by chance, be relations of Professor von Hohenheim?"

Ed felt suspicion prickle his spine at the mention of his late father, but Al's smile grew positively sunny. "He is--I mean, _was,_ our father, Mr. Higurashi. Did you know him?"

"Indeed! He was a great man--a great mind--and he showed me many kindnesses while I was a graduate student at Cambridge. And after I returned home to take up a teaching position at Tokyo Imperial University, we corresponded on a variety of topics. He had some unusual theories--" Higurashi's gaze flicked sideways, at the rolled-up canvas, "but he was an extremely well-read and reasoned man. And," Higurashi drew himself up to his slight--_but still taller than Ed, dammit!--_height. "I was proud to call him a friend."

"Oh yeah? Well, he never mentioned you," Ed said, drawing a scandalized glare from Alphonse. This guy was just rubbing him the wrong way.

And it was true--Ed had lived with his father for several months after arriving in this world, and while Hohenheim's circle of acquaintances had been large, Ed was sure he would have remembered this Higurashi fellow, if only on account of his nationality. _Japan! That's the other fucking side of the world!_

Higurashi looked taken aback by Ed's bluntness, but he seemed determined to soldier on. "I'm sure your honored father would remember me, if you asked him--"

"He's dead," Ed said flatly, just as Al protested, "Brother! You're being rude again."

Higurashi swept his hat from his head and bowed gracefully. "My most sincere condolences on your loss," he murmured, but Ed noted that he didn't seem surprised, which meant he had probably known of Hohenheim's death.

The prickle of suspicion returned, stronger this time. What did this man want? It was becoming clear--to Ed, anyway--that their encounter here, in the middle of bloody nowhere, was not a coincidence.

Higurashi licked his lips nervously. "I am shocked, of course, to hear of your father's untimely passing," he began. "I had hoped for the opportunity to repay the many kindnesses that Professor von Hohenheim showed me while I was still at Cambridge. In fact, I returned to England expressly to invite him to visit my home in Tokyo--it's an ancient shrine, nearly a thousand years old, and he had expressed interest in Japanese history. I am devastated to discover that I will never be able to..." He heaved a melodramatic sigh.

Higurashi was warming up as he went along, Ed thought, observing the other man critically, but it still mostly sounded like bullshit.

He glanced over to Al, and found that the smile had disappeared from his brother's freckled, friendly face.

Hah! So Al wasn't completely fooled by this guy, after all!

"Ah!" Higurashi interrupted himself, sounding like a second-rate vaudeville actor. "But perhaps I can repay my debt to your father in some small way, by inviting you both to Tokyo in his stead! Hosting the sons of the esteemed Professor would be my pleasure. Please say that you will return to Tokyo with me! I could book you passage on the same ship I'm traveling on. It departs next week, and I am certain that you two gentlemen would make for entertaining company on the long voyage."

_Go all the way to Japan with some guy we just met? Are you out of your fucking mind?_ Ed thought, but Alphonse pinned him with a stern look, so he said only, "Thanks for the invitation, Mr. Higurashi, but I can't leave the university for that long."

"Oh, are you a student? I'm certain I could work something out with your professors," Higurashi said, eagerly.

"Sorry, not interested," Ed replied coolly, wondering just how far the Japanese man was willing to go, and why he wanted so badly to get Ed and Al on that boat.

"I'm sure Japan would be very interesting," Alphonse added, "but it's an awfully long way from England, and we have...things...we need to do here. We really can't leave."

Higurashi's eyes widened with dismay, dispelling his resemblance to Roy Mustang. Ed was pretty sure that the Colonel would never have let his mask slip like that when he was trying to hustle someone.

Then, to Ed's astonishment, Higurashi drew a tiny pistol from his jacket pocket.

"I am so very sorry, Mr. Elric," he said, his voice barely audible with nerves. "But I really must insist." He pointed the gun at Ed.

Ed barked an incredulous laugh at the sight of the weapon--if something of so small a caliber could rightly be called a _weapon._ Besides, even if he did pull the trigger, Higurashi's hands were shaking so badly it would be a miracle if he managed to hit _anything._

Ed calculated the distance between them. If he took one more step, he might be able to--

He saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

Al sprinted past Ed, launched himself in the air, and aimed a flying kick at the Japanese man's head.

Higurashi went down with a heavy thump. Ed saw the little pistol fly away in a high arc, and disappear into a thick clump of grass around one of the fallen megaliths.

In a flash, Ed threw himself atop the man on the ground and pinned his arms.

"Okay, you bastard, tell us who you _really_ are, and who sent you," he growled. He looked over his shoulder. "Al, search him."

"But, Brother, don't you think that we should notify the police?"

_"Now,_ Al."

Al obeyed, patting down the Japanese man's clothing, removing his wallet and identity papers.

Looking down at his prisoner, Ed added, "I'm betting this guy never met Dad, and that he doesn't have anything to do with any university."

Higurashi made a sound of protest, but quieted under Ed's glare.

Rifling quickly through the confiscated papers, Al said, "Brother, he really _is_ a professor of physics at Tokyo Imperial University..." Color rose in his fair cheeks. "Oh, and it says here that he's serving as a guest lecturer at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München... sponsored by a _Herr Doktor_ Professor Haushofer... um."

Confronted by this unmistakable evidence that Ed was, for once, correct in his suspicions, Alphonse's voice stumbled to a halt.

"Hah! I knew it!" Ed barked. He hooked two automail fingers under Higurashi's stiff celluloid collar, and twisted. "Okay, you. _Talk."_

Higurashi gasped for breath around the sudden constriction, and blinked up at him with worried black eyes, but remained mute.

"What's your connection to the Thule Society? Why are they sending you to do their dirty work?"

"You _are_ a little less blond than they prefer, Dr. Higurashi," Alphonse noted, refolding Higurashi's papers into their leather wallet.

Ed heard his brother muttering under his breath, _Higurashi, Higurashi, why does that sound familiar?_

Come to think of it, the name sounded familiar to Ed, too, though he couldn't think of where he'd heard or seen it before.

"Mr. Elric, I am not a member of the Thule Society," Dr. Higurashi said, with as much dignity as he could muster, sprawled in the middle of a pasture with a furious Ed sitting on top of him.

"Ah! I remember now where I've read your name!" Al exchanged a glance with Edward, and Ed gave his brother a tiny nod, willing him to go ahead. "Dr. Higurashi, I think Brother and I read one of your papers last year," Al said, his face lighting up with boyish enthusiasm. "Did you write_A Determination of the Deflection of Light by the Sun's Gravitational Field, from Observations Made at the Total Eclipse of May 29, 1919?"_

Dr. Higurashi was a true academic. He managed to preen at the mention of the paper, despite his uncomfortable position. "Oh, no, most of the credit for that paper must go to my esteemed colleagues, particularly Professor Eddington," he murmured. "I was but a lowly graduate student at the time."

Ed pursed his lips, thinking, and asked shrewdly: "But even if you're really a professor, then why are you going home for a visit before spring term ends at the Ludwig-Maximilians University? Japan is a long way away from here--I'm guessing it would take at least a month to travel there by train and steamer."

"I'm not a member of the Thule Society." Dr. Higurashi repeated, stubbornly. Then he sighed, and looked directly at Ed. "All right, I will tell you the truth. I was sent to Europe to find you, because certain of my...associates in Japan acquired something that once belonged to the Thule Society. It's gone missing, and we hoped to enlist first Professor Haushofer's help, then yours, in finding it."

_Could it be...?_ Ed's heart began to pound. "W-what did you lose?" he croaked, barely able to force the words past his throat.

Dr. Higurashi did not reply for a long moment. Another sigh. "I hope you will not disbelieve me, but...it was a dragon."

"Envy!" Ed and Al said, simultaneously.

"I want to hear the whole story," added Ed.

"Then you agree to help me?" Dr. Higurashi said, in astonishment.

"Of cours--" Al began to say, and Ed cut him off with a sharp gesture.

"Maybe. We need more information."

Al shot him a long look, and Ed climbed off his victim.

Dr. Higurashi sat up, and rubbed futilely at the grass stains on his tweed jacket. "I know of a pub in Salisbury that serves very good supper. Please, allow me to treat you to a meal, and I shall tell you everything I know."

oo0oo

**Historical and Canon Notes for this chapter: **

The scientific paper I've attributed to Higurashi Souta in this chapter, _A Determination of the Deflection of Light by the Sun's Gravitational Field, from Observations Made at the Total Eclipse of May 29, 1919, _was actually only authored byFWDyson, AS Eddington, & C.R. Davidson, in 1920.

The Souta Higurashi in this chapter is Jii-chan's older brother, and great-uncle to Kagome and Souta Higurashi.

Regarding the Amestrian language: the names of places and people in _Fullmetal Alchemist_ point to Amestrian being nearly identical to English. However, in homage to the series' original voice actors, I decided to play with the canon a bit, and make Ed and Al's native language similar to Japanese rather than English.


	4. Truths and Revelations

03

True to his word, the food at the King's Head pub was excellent, and Dr. Higurashi paid for supper, though not without a look of astonishment as Ed and Al each put away three helpings of the excellent roast lamb, served with mashed potatoes, carrots, and peas.

Higurashi waited to speak until Ed had finished his sticky toffee pudding, and Al was scraping up the last spoonfuls of a strawberry trifle. He curled his fingers around a pint of beer, studying the two boys with a thoughtful expression that strengthened his resemblance to Roy Mustang.

Ed let his fork drop against the dish, and happily patted his bulging stomach--with their limited funds, it wasn't often that he and Al got to eat out, though they were both competent cooks, thanks to their rigorous studies in alchemy and chemistry. They knew how to measure ingredients, and create reactions using heat applied in different ways, so the results were--_usually_--edible.

"I really am terribly sorry about lying to you, and for aiming a gun at you," Higurashi began quietly, his long fingers drumming against his pint glass. "But you must understand--it was absolutely imperative that I convince you to agree to travel to Japan with me. The lives of my family are at stake."

"Because of Envy--the dragon, I mean?" Al asked, his voice breaking mid-sentence.

Al's restored body had just turned fifteen, with the embarrassing and uncomfortable side-effects of shooting up a foot almost overnight, and a voice that wavered unpredictably between a boy's tenor and a man's deep tones. Give him another couple of months, and he'd be borrowing Ed's shaving gear…

Ed leaned forward, and propped his elbows on the table. "Maybe you'd better start from the beginning, Dr. Higurashi. How did the dragon get to Japan? The last time we saw it, it was wounded, and tied to the ceiling of Professor Haushofer's villa."

"I believe you were both present when Dr. Haushofer and the Thule Society attempted a coup d'etat in Germany a year-and-a-half ago, yes?" Higurashi asked.

Ed frowned. Higurashi kept saying he wasn't part of the Thule Society, but how else could he know this stuff about them?

Higurashi was still talking. "Did you also know is that Professor Haushofer spent time in Japan before the Great War, as a guest instructor at a military academy?"

"Yeah," Ed waved a casual hand. "He wrote a book about Japan. Didn't read it, though now I wish I had."

"Professor Haushofer managed to recruit a number of the academy cadets during his stay in Japan, convincing them that Japan and Germany shared a destiny as the overlords of their regions--Germany was meant to rule Europe, and Japan to rule Asia--and that the realization of this destiny lay in racial and cultural homogeneity, as well as the acquisition of certain...shall we say, culturally significant items."

"Mythical kingdoms in the Arctic and magic spears and all kinds of bullshit like that," Ed sneered, and Higurashi smiled in agreement.

"These ideas hold an attraction for a certain class of people, many of them associated with the military. In the aftermath of the failed coup, some of Professor Haushofer's associates managed to smuggle the dragon out of Germany, and transport it to Japan. How they managed this, I do not know, but the dragon arrived in Tokyo last spring."

Higurashi finally took a sip of his neglected beer, and continued. "The Japanese Thule adherents were ecstatic to acquire a real, live dragon--it is an ancient and powerful folklore symbol in Japan, and they see possessing such a beast as proof of our nation's superiority over China and the other nations of Asia."

"And how did you become involved in all this, Dr. Higurashi?" Al asked, wiping the last smears of strawberry sauce from his mouth.

"As I mentioned earlier, my family owns a Shinto shrine in one of the suburbs of Tokyo. Its grounds are quite extensive, and the shrine itself is very old. As the oldest son, I am its head priest, though I am forced to divide my time between my duties at the Imperial University and my religious obligations. And--" "

"You're a scientist _and_ a priest? Huh." Ed interrupted disbelievingly, scratching the back of his neck, where the stiff celluloid shirt collar was a constant itch under the ponytail. "Isn't that kind of a contradiction? I mean, science, has rules, proof, theories, and religion, is, well, just a bunch of superstitious crap..._Hey!"_ he exclaimed as Al elbowed him sharply in his side.

Rather than taking offense, Higurashi smiled. "I see no contradiction, Mr. Elric. I am deeply interested in how the world works, and the study of physics has helped to answer some of my questions, but not all of them. I can tell you the chemical composition of a star, but not how the universe came into being."

He looked as if he might be ready to launch into a longer speech about his beliefs, but once again, Al sprang into the gap.

Though, Ed noticed, rubbing his bruised ribs, he didn't go so far as to elbow Dr. Higurashi.

"So, your association with the Thule Society was because you were looking for answers that science couldn't provide?" Al's tone was polite, but his expression was skeptical.

"I'm afraid so." Higurashi took a deep pull from his beer, looking deeply uncomfortable. "My only excuse is that I was young, and quite foolish. While attending the academy, I became involved with one of the groups that followed Professor Haushofer's teachings. My former associates came to me last year and ordered me to become the dragon's guardian while it healed from its wounds."

"So you _are_ a member of the Thule Society!" Ed snapped. He knew it!

"No, no, I was just once part of a group interested in exploring Japan's role in a unified Asia," Higurashi protested. "But that was years ago, and I did not wish to became the dragon's keeper, but you must understand--some of these men are university administrators, and they threatened to take away my tenure, and to publicly disgrace me as a fraud and a plagiarist. None of it true, but the mere accusation would have destroyed my academic career..."

"So you became Envy's babysitter." Ed gave a humorless chuckle.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. In the course of caring for for him, I realized it could speak...and reason."

"What did it tell you?" Al asked.

"Many things," Higurashi said, dreamily. "He told me of a country called Amestris, where alchemy served as science. He told me about an ancient witch named Dante, and the homunculi, who were artificial beings who longed for souls. And he told me about _you_."

"What did Envy say about Brother?" Al asked.

"He said that he and Edward had come from the same homeland, and that Edward was the author of all his ills."

"That bastard _would_ try to blame me," Ed said, sarcastically. "You should've seen what he tried to do to _us_ before we sent him through the Gate." Seeing Higurashi's confusion, he decided to change the subject slightly. "Did Envy ask you about anything? Did he seem interested in a particular place?"

Higurashi nodded. "When I told him about the shrine's legends, he had many questions about the mysterious Bone-eater's Well, in which the bones of demons are said to periodically appear and disappear."

"So, how did he make his escape?" Al asked, leaning forward intently, his elbows on the table.

"There was an earthquake," Higurashi said quietly. He looked down at the pint glass cradled in his hands for a long moment, his gaze a little unfocused. "A terrible earthquake. It was noon on the first of September last year. I remember the time precisely because I was at home, smelling my wife's wonderful cooking, waiting to eat. And then, everything began to shake. We have frequent earthquakes, and most of them are small, so I waited to see if it would get stronger. It did. I called for my wife, and ran outside, to the courtyard. Then--"

He paused, and took a long, shuddering breath. "Then the roof collapsed," he whispered. "I remember thinking that the tiles sounded as if all the crockery in the world was being shattered. I screamed for my wife, but she did not answer. I tried to go back inside, but the house was filled with collapsed beams, and I couldn't push them aside."

"Was your wife...all right?" Al asked, his eyes shining with sympathetic tears.

Higurashi shook his head, and resumed his story in a hoarse voice. "One by one, the shrine buildings also collapsed, including the storage building where the dragon lived. I saw it emerge, and look around, but it was still constrained by the the chains driven deep into the ground. I could smell smoke coming from the kitchen, and I screamed for the dragon to help me move the beams, so that I could reach my wife. The dragon asked me what price I was willing to pay in return, and I told him that I would remove his manacles and show him a way to escape, if only he would help me.

"He agreed, but--but it was too late. He moved the beams aside, but the house was burning. I tried to go inside, to reach my wife, but--" Higurashi put his face in hands, fighting for control. After a long moment he said, "I only pray that she was already dead when the flames reached her."

Higurashi might have been lying to them before, but the pain that now limned his expression was very real.

"My condolences," said Ed, feeling genuinely sorry for the guy, despite the fact that Higurashi had pulled a gun on him a few hours earlier. Al echoed him.

"Thank you." Higurashi paused in his tale, and took a restorative gulp of beer. "In any case, the dragon had fulfilled his part of the bargain, so I fulfilled mine. I removed his chains and led him to the Bone-eater's Well, which is also on the shrine grounds, and showed him how to open a portal. I had never performed the ritual before, but it appeared to work...he vanished, and the well returned to normal."

"A Gate," Ed breathed, hardly daring to hope. A portal opened by the presence of a homunculus? It _had_ to be a Gate!

"Tokyo was in ruins by the end of the day--nothing but heaps of rubble and fires as far as I could see. The next few days were chaotic...thousands of people lay dead, there were wild rumors of all sorts, and even riots and lynchings. My associates finally came around to check on me, and they were most displeased when I told them the dragon had escaped in the aftermath of the earthquake."

"Why didn't you open the well again, and let them go after the dragon themselves?" Alphonse asked, pushing away his dessert dish.

"I tried," answered Dr. Higurashi. "But when I repeated the ritual, nothing happened. My wife was...was dead, so they couldn't use her to threaten me, but I have several younger brothers, and my associates took them away under the pretext of caring for them. In truth, they are being held hostage until I return."

This story seemed closer to the truth than what Higurashi had told them at first, but Ed was still having problems with some of the connections. "What, _exactly,_ did Envy--did the dragon--tell you about us?"

Higurashi sighed. "The dragon told me that there were people from Shamballa in this world. It was apparent that he hated you, so I suppose I should be skeptical of any of the details. What I did surmise was that beings from Shamballa were the keys to opening portals in this world. And so I thought, perhaps, if I could find you, you could open the well and allow me to pursue the dragon. It was the only hope I had."

"And you told your associates about us?" Ed asked, his annoyance lightened a little by unwilling sympathy for Higurashi's plight.

If those Thule bastards really were holding Higurashi's brothers hostage, then Ed could understand why Higurashi had been willing to pull a gun. He'd have done the same--and more--for Al.

"I had no choice," Higurashi said. "The dragon told me that Professor von Hohenheim and his son Edward Elric were both associated with the university in Munich, and that the Professor's younger son had also recently arrived in this world. So, arrangements were made for me to travel to Germany as a guest lecturer, and I was ordered to return to Japan with Edward and Alphonse Elric in tow, by fair means or foul."

"And so you tried the foul means first," Al said, sternly. "You should have just told us the truth from the beginning, Dr. Higurashi."

"I'm very sorry." Higurashi lifted his glass and drained his beer in one gulp. "Please, I beg of you: Help me. Come to Japan."

Ed and Al traded glances across the table. If Higurashi was telling the truth, then the Higurashi Shrine might be one of the rumored mystical places where they could open a gate home.

Al gave a slight nod, and Ed cleared his throat. "Okay. We'll do it. We'll come with you to Japan if you let us investigate that well of yours. How soon do we leave?"

oo0oo

**Historical and Canon Notes for this chapter: **

The great Kanto earthquake was a real event, estimated to have been as strong as 8.4 on the Richter scale. It destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama, and killed hundreds of thousands of people. I've moved the date of the quake from Sept.1, 1923 to Sept. 1, 1924, so that it occurs after the events in the _Fullmetal Alchemist_ movie.

The real Prof. Haushofer really did spend a year teaching at a military academy in Japan during 1909-1910, and wrote about his experiences after he returned to Germany. His association with the Thule Society is a matter of speculation, though he was closely associated with key Nazi figures, such as Rudolf Hess.


	5. Dinner and Dragons

02

_Tokyo, 1997_

It was late, nearly suppertime when Higurashi Kagome put down her pencil and stretched, the sound of her shoulders popping startlingly loud in the empty classroom. Finally done with the last of her make-up tests!

This one had been Japanese history, which had become her best subject. And no surprise, since she spent every weekend--and a lot of weekdays, too--time-traveling to the Sengoku-jidai, the Warring States Era, where she and her friends were engaged in a desperate quest to gather the shards of the shattered Shikon no Tama.

She handed her test paper to her teacher, who had been grading papers at his desk, but who looked happy to be going home, too. Then, she gathered up her school bag and hurried outside, hoping Inuyasha would be there to meet her.

It had become routine for him to come fetch every Friday afternoon and escort her through the time-slip to the Sengoku-jidai. He also carried her backpack for her, heavy with camping supplies and homework.

She crossed the now-deserted campus, the late afternoon sun casting the schoolyard in shade, second-guessing herself on some of her test answers. Now, she knew for a fact that Oda Nobunaga had allied himself with Oda Nobumitsu, but was that before or after the assassination of Oda Nobutomo in Kiyosu Castle?

Even having met some of the Oda family, she had a hard time keeping all of those _Nobu-_ names straight.

_Ah, well, too late now, _Kagome told herself.

She saw a sudden flash of red as Inuyasha dropped lightly to the ground from where he had been sitting in one of the schoolyard trees. As usual when walking around in her era, his distinctive dog-ears were hidden by a bandanna tied around his head.

"Oi, Kagome," he greeted her, in his slightly husky voice.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry I'm late--" she began, hoping to stave off his annoyance, but he didn't seem annoyed.

"Eh, your mother," and he used an old-fashioned, very respectful term to refer to Mama, "said you had to take more of those test-things. So, she fed me some onigiri, and your grandfather made me clean out the storage shed. I didn't break anything this time," he said, proudly. "But I did find a couple of dragon scales tucked away in a box--I could smell them 'cause dragons stink, don'tcha know, and the old coot got really, really excited."

"I'm sure I'll hear all about it when I get home," Kagome said, with a sigh. She loved her grandfather, but he did get excited by the oddest things. She still remembered the dried kappa paw he had given her for her fifteenth birthday.

Inuyasha turned and presented his back to her. "Hop on--I don't want to miss dinner. Your mother's making that chicken dish I really like."

"Too bad it's not curry," Kagome teased him, as she felt his clawed, calloused hands under her thighs, boosting her up onto his back.

"Very funny," he snorted. "I don't understand how you can eat food that burns your mouth like that."

Holding her securely piggyback, he jumped to the top of the wall surrounding the schoolyard as if they were both weightless, balanced there for a second, then started a bounding run that ate up city blocks in seconds.

"Speaking of dragons," Inuyasha said, as he touched down lightly on the roof of the train station, then took off again. "Sango said she's heard rumors of a powerful dragon on the loose. And he's acting weird, doing stuff like demanding that the local peasants pay taxes to him."

"Do you think he might have gotten hold of a Jewel shard?" Kagome asked, referring to the powerful fragments of the shattered _Shikon no Tama,_ the Jewel of Four Souls.

"Maybe. Or maybe he's just an asshole--most dragons are," Inuyasha said over his shoulder. "You know, _I am the manifestation of the power of the earth,_ blah, blah, blah. The only thing dragons like to do more than destroy shit is to _talk_ about destroying shit and how they're divinely empowered to destroy shit, and stuff like that. Like I said, assholes. _Boring_ assholes. They never shut up."

Kagome giggled this, turning her face into Inuyasha's neck as he easily leapt from one rooftop to the next, crossing high above busy streets. She felt him tremble as her lips brushed against warm skin above his jacket collar by accident, and he stumbled on his next step.

"Kagome, dammit, stop moving around," he grumbled, but without rancor. "You're throwin' off my balance."

"Sorry," she said, pulling back.

But her gaze returned to the smooth, tanned skin of his nape as his silver hair blew up, and she found herself tempted to lean forward again, and accidentally-on-purpose repeat the almost-kiss.

But, doing that on purpose...that would be like kissing him, wouldn't it? she wondered. And she wasn't even sure if he wanted to be kissed by her, though she had spent many hours staring out her classroom window, wondering what it would be like to kiss him, _really_ kiss him.

With a sigh, she let her head rest against his shoulder, his long hair tickling her cheek, and her nose filled with the slightly musky scent of his fire-rat jacket.

He shifted a little to settle her more comfortably against him. "Tired, Kagome?" he asked, sympathetically.

"A little," she murmured, letting her eyelids droop. She liked resting like this, with her arms and legs around him, feeling his muscles move against her. He was so strong... "I had to take three tests after classes ended: geometry, English, and history. I hope I passed them--I wonder what will happen if I really _do_ flunk out of school." she said, more to herself than anything.

But he heard her with those supernaturally keen ears of his. "Don't worry. If you 'flunk out,' I'll take care of you. I wanna be with you forever, Kagome."

_Does he mean...?_ Her fingers tightened on the rough fabric of his fire-rat as she willed herself not to raise her hopes too high. This wasn't the first time he had mentioned wanting to stay with her forever, and she always wondered if he was saying it because she was his first real friend, or whether he meant something more.

"I want to be with you, too, Inuyasha," she told him.

And it was true. She didn't know what would happen after their quest ended. Would they finally win against Naraku and gain possession of all the fragments of the shattered Shikon no Tama? Would the Bone-eater's Well that served as a bridge between Inuyasha's era and hers remain open? What if they were separated forever?

She didn't want to think about it. So she closed her eyes, snuggled closer, and let herself doze a little as Inuyasha carried her home to her family's shrine.

oo0oo

After supper, Jii-chan, predictably, started talking about dragons. Kagome's younger brother Souta had been bouncing eagerly in his chair, torn between his excitement at Inuyasha's visit, and his eagerness to hear all about the dragon tamed by his namesake great-uncle.

Mama had made fried chicken especially for Inuyasha, and further yielding to her soft spot for him, she had gone shopping for a selection of pickles to serve as side-dishes. He gobbled everything in front of him with gusto, especially the brightly-colored pickles piled high in mounds of yellow and fuschia.

At least he was using chopsticks, instead of his hands. Kagome saw Mama smile fondly down at him as she rose to refill his plate with a third helping of chicken and a generous scoop of rice.

Despite his obvious excitement over Inuyasha's discovery, Jii-chan managed to restrain himself until everyone had finished eating.

As Mama and Kagome cleared away the plates, Jii-chan hurried out of the kitchen, returning with a large lacquered box. Placing it on the kitchen table, he opened the box and scooped out the dragon scales.

Kagome took one, ignoring Inuyasha's ostentatiously-wrinkled nose._ She_ couldn't smell anything, so it was just too bad for him.

The scale was an iridescent celadon-green color, larger than her hand, and slightly curved, as light and delicate as eggshell porcelain.

"Amazing," she breathed. "Great-Uncle Souta really tamed a dragon?"

"Thing is," Inuyasha said, snatching the scale from Kagome, and tapping it with one clawed finger. It gave a faint musical chime, like a crystal wine glass. "I've never seen a dragon with wimpy scales like this. I'd have a hard time even scratching most dragons with Tetsusaiga--" he jerked his chin at the battered-looking katana leaning against the nearest wall, and Kagome found herself remembering his desperate fight against Ryuukoutsei. "--but I could crush _this_ thing to powder with just my bare hands."

His fingers began to tighten around the scale, as if demonstrating his point, and Kagome grabbed his wrist as Jii-chan gave a wordless yell of protest. :"Inuyasha, don't!"

He froze, and opened his fingers. "I wasn't gonna--" he grumbled, as Jii-chan sagged in relief.

Kagome extracted the dragon scale and handed it back to Jii-chan, who cradled it protectively, glaring at Inuyasha.

He wrinkled his nose and shook out his fingers. "I'm going to go wash my hands," he announced. "They stink of dragon. Really _wimpy_ dragon."

"Perhaps it was just a baby," Mama ventured. "Which is why Uncle Souta was able to tame it."

"Nah," scoffed Inuyasha. "Dragons are hatched fully-armored and mean as anything. The only thing they do as they grow up is get bigger."

Jii-chan sat up proudly and stuck out his chest. "My older brother Souta was a powerful priest. He probably bound that dragon with ease, using the family's special charms, which have been handed down for four hundred years--"

"I guess they worked better than the crappy charms _you_ use," muttered Inuyasha, clearly still resentful about Jii-chan's feeble attempt to exorcise him at their first meeting.

"Shh," Kagome elbowed him in the ribs. "I want to hear this." She raised her voice, interrupting her grandfather's soliloquy on the history of the Higurashi Shrine's paper charms. "How did Great-uncle Souta get hold of a dragon?"

"Well, it was before the Great Kanto earthquake, and before the Second World War. I don't remember much, since I was very young, and Souta-nii-san didn't allow anyone except himself to visit the dragon…"

oo0oo

Later, when Kagome had finished packing for her expedition to the Sengoku-jidai, and they were balanced on the rim of the Bone-eater's Well, ready to jump down and activate the portal to the past, she ventured one more question about dragons. "Are they _all_ bad, Inuyasha? Couldn't Great-uncle Souta's dragon have been a nice dragon, one of the noble ones, like in the old stories?"

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted, winding an arm around her waist preparatory to leaping down into the well's depths. "Give it up, Kagome. Dragons are assholes, and that's the truth."

And with that, he scooped her up and jumped. Kagome saw the familiar glow of the time-slip portal activate as they floated down.

oo0oo

_**Historical and canon notes for this chapter:**_

Inuyasha's sword: The name has been transliterated both as Tessaiga and Tetsusaiga, based on some unclear printing in early editions of the manga that confused whether the "tsu" was a helper character or not. Both spellings are technically correct: a small "tsu" is a silent helper character in Japanese, indicating a double consonant (in this case "ss") A large "tsu" is pronounced. Viz, in its English subtitling for the anime series, chose to go with Tetsusaiga (pronounced "Tessaiga"), so I've decided to go with the "official" spelling, as well.


	6. Journey

04 04. Journey

Yokohama/Tokyo, May 1925

The journey from England to Japan took Edward, Alphonse, and Souta Higurashi over a month, in various stages. First, they boarded a steamship in Liverpool that conveyed them in reasonable comfort to New York. From there, they traveled overland by rail to San Francisco, where the three of them boarded another steamer bound for Yokohama.

Alphonse wistfully expressed the wish to linger New York and San Francisco and sightsee a little, but Higurashi was polite but insistent that they proceed as quickly as possible. While still in England, he had sent a telegram to his associates with news of their impending return to Japan, and they had ordered him to travel with all possible haste.

Ed took Higurashi's side for once. He was burning with the desire to track down Envy, and go home, for good this time.

Despite his lingering resentment over Higurashi's initial attempt to deceive them, Ed found himself taking a liking to the man as the days passed in mostly-congenial company. Higurashi was young for a professor--barely thirty--but brilliant, well-read, and well-spoken. He was fluent in English and German as well as Japanese, and could read Russian. And he was also most concerned about the well-being of his younger brothers, who were being held hostage in Tokyo, and Ed found himself in grudging sympathy.

After all, he knew more than a little about sacrificing everything you had for the sake of his brother, didn't he? Ed thought, as the transcontinental train sped smoothly through vast stretches of wheat and cornfields somewhere in the middle part of the United States.

His long, bleak exile in a world without alchemy had been worth it, if only to see how tall Alphonse was getting, and to hear his newly-hoarse voice break into a high squeak at awkward intervals.

All of these things were things that his brother could only experience in a flesh body, and it had been worth every scar, every drop of blood that Ed had given to free Al from the prison of being a soul bound to an empty suit of armor.

Somewhat to his surprise, Ed found himself telling Higurashi about his quest to regain his brother's body, and Higurashi listened thoughtfully, though many of the details probably seemed incredible to him.

In return, Higurashi shared his own experiences growing up as the oldest of nine boys, and his dual fascination with both the spiritual and scientific. He had always been able to see ghosts and spirits, and to banish the troublesome ones. But he was also drawn to the mysteries of the stars and Earth's neighboring planets, and had done his graduate work in England as part of a team investigating the behavior of the gases that comprised the Sun.

Following the tragic deaths of his bride Akiko--they had been married less than a year--and his parents in the great earthquake the previous year, Higurashi had stepped into the role of head of the family.

His eight younger brothers ranged in age from six to twenty-four, though the two older brothers lived away from home. Following the Higurashi family tradition of dividing attention between the spiritual and the practical, Akio was a Buddhist monk at a temple in Kyoto, and Makoto was enrolled at the Prefectural Medical College in Osaka.

The San Francisco-to-Yokohama steamer was crowded with tourists. Japan was a popular destination for travelers, it seemed, and from the guidebooks, Ed surmised that it was a country filled with picturesque bridges, scenic mountains, and exotic houses constructed of wood and paper, with tile roofs that turned gracefully up at the corners. It looked interesting, more like Xing than Amestris, despite the similarities between the Japanese and Amestrian languages.

The biggest difference between the two languages, Ed discovered as Higurashi tutored them in the basic etiquette and customs of his native country, was that Japanese had many more levels of polite and rude speech, and different words for whether the speaker was a man, a woman, a man addressing a peer, a man addressing a superior, or a man addressing an inferior.

But still, the roots of the words remained the same, and once Ed and Al learned the trick of it, they found themselves understanding almost everything the other Japanese passengers said, except the thickest dialects or most obscure slang.

Higurashi told them that their slightly modified Amestrian would be acceptable for most modes of conversation, since they were clearly foreigners, and simply the fact that they spoke and understood any Japanese at all would be the subject of much wonder.

The Japanese writing system was very difficult—not at all like Amestrian, which used a close approximation of this world's Latin alphabet. Ed and Al passed the long, boring days of travel by studying the language. Ed found the kanji as obscure as the symbolic writing used to construct the alchemic equations within transmutation circles, and spent long hours memorizing the characters and copying them out, with occasional breaks to practice his hand-to-hand combat skills against Al, something the other passengers found noteworthy.

Ed became accustomed to gathering an audience as he traded punches and kicks with his brother on the ship's deck.

By the time they finally arrived in Japan, and disembarked, Ed could recognize the most commonly-used kanji for store, restaurant, police station, toilet, and other important signs, but was nowhere near being able to read a newspaper or any of the pages of the Japanese books in Higurashi's luggage.

To Ed's annoyance, Al seemed to be able to memorize the kanji effortlessly, and was even reading a novel—albeit very slowly—that he had borrowed from one of the other passengers.

Ed was disappointed to find Yokohama disappointingly mundane, with storefronts and trolley lines that looked a lot like San Francisco, or Liverpool. Well, at least having modern transportation meant that they'd get to the Bone-eater's Well that much faster, didn't it?

From the look on his face, Al was similarly disappointed. Higurashi chuckled a little at their crestfallen expressions, and promised to take them sightseeing to Kamakura and Hakone, once they had captured the dragon and satisfied his associates.

The short train ride from Yokohama to Tokyo was interesting--the houses clinging to the hillsides on either side of the rail line looked closer to what Ed had been expecting from the guidebook pictures, and there was even the occasional temple to add to the atmosphere.

Al was hanging out the train window for most of the ride, calling back comments. Ed just wanted to get to Tokyo, and the Higurashi Shrine, already.

Despite his impatience, he couldn't help noticing signs of the damage done the year before by the earthquake--though most of Yokohama, Tokyo, and the towns in-between had been rebuilt, there were still plentiful vacant lots heaped with shattered brick and other rubble, and many of the wooded hillsides bore the large bare-earth scars of landslides.

Tokyo itself was a sprawling mass of streets and houses in a mix of Western and traditional Japanese styles. Ed and Al both stared, fascinated, out of the train window until it finally pulled to a halt at the main station.

Hastily pulling their suitcases off the overhead racks, Ed and Alphonse followed Higurashi down to the platform, where they stood for a moment, trying to get their bearings while being buffeted by crowds of people.

Ed noticed that he was actually of average height here, and grinned. Japan already had a lot to recommend it.

Alphonse, on the other hand, was nearly a head taller than everyone else, and his height, combined with his golden hair, attracted open stares from passing children and discreet sideways glances from the adults.

Higurashi began to plow through the crowd, heading for one of the station's exits, and Ed and Al followed in his wake.

Then Higurashi came to an abrupt halt. His calm expression did not change as he caught sight of a slim, cold-eyed man wearing a neat Western suit standing on the far end of platform, but Ed had spent enough time in the young professor's company to sense his sudden wariness.

"What is it?" he asked in a low voice, and Alphonse leaned in.

Higurashi answered, his dark-eyed gaze never leaving the man who was now approaching them. "That's Ikeda-san. He's a member of the Tokkou, the Special Higher Police. He's also part of a group that call themselves the Descendants of the Dragon."

"And they're the ones who sent you to recruit us?" Al guessed, his eyes narrowing.

Higurashi gave a half-shrug, and Ed rose on tiptoes to get a better look at the bastard.

"Brother…" Al murmured, in warning.

"Not gonna _do_ anything," Ed protested. "I just want to know what--and who--we're dealing with."

"Be very careful," Higurashi said, his lips scarcely moving as Ikeda drew closer. "The Tokkou have the right to arrest and interrogate anyone they deem a threat to the public order, especially foreigners. Please don't say or do _anything, _Edward-san_--_I'll handle this."

"But--" Ed began. Alphonse's hand fell on his flesh shoulder, and squeezed hard.

"All right, all right," Ed grumbled, and stepped back.

Ikeda reached them, and Higurashi gave a stiff bow, carefully calculated to show respect towards a peer, but nothing more.

"So, you've finally returned, Professor Higurashi," Ikeda said, returning the bow with obvious reluctance, his voice as cold as his eyes. "And you've brought the foreigners with you. Good."

His face utterly expressionless, Higurashi said, "Please let me extend my gratitude for your care of my family during my absence, Ikeda-san." But Ed heard the unspoken questions between his words--_Are my brothers all right? When can I see them?_

Ikeda's lip curled. "Your brothers have been very...lively...in your absence, Professor. A little more discipline would smooth their ways in life. Take my son, Osamu, for instance..."

"I thank you for your advice," Higurashi said, and Ed didn't know how the other man managed to suppress all traces of sarcasm from his voice or his expression.

Ikeda made a dismissive gesture, then turned his attention to Ed and Al, studying them closely before saying in careful English to Alphonse, "Welcome to Japan, Mr. Edward Elric and Mr. Elric's younger brother. Your papers, please."

In that moment, Ed realized two things: Ikeda had no idea that they understood Japanese, and that (yet again), here was someone who thought Alphonse was the elder, _just because he was fucking taller!_ He began to bristle, and thought better of it.

_Kill 'em with courtesy,_ he reminded himself, reining in his temper with an effort. It was easier to do at twenty than it had been at twelve, when he had been the youngest State Alchemist in the history of Amestris.

He stepped forward and gave a perfunctory bow, feeling the heavy brush of his ponytail as it swept over his shoulder. _"Konnichi-wa,"_ he said, deliberately mangling his accent, then continued in English: _"I_ am Edward Elric. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Ikeda."

He reached into his coat for the large leather wallet containing their passports and other papers, and handed it to Ikeda, whose expression had darkened at having his mistake pointed out to him.

_Uh-oh,_ thought Edward, holding his breath as he always did when presenting Alfons Heiderich's papers. The black-and-white photo on the German passport was a very close match to Al, but Heiderich had had blue eyes, and they had taken a huge risk in altering the eye color descriptions to match Al's hazel eyes.

Ed watched Ikeda frown over their passports, and wondered whether Ikeda could read what the papers said. Apparently he could. Still frowning, he looked up. "You have different family names," he stated, accusingly.

"We're half-brothers," Ed replied, used to telling the lie by now. None of the officials in the United States had blinked at fifteen-year-old Alphonse passing for twenty-one, but every single last one of them had immediately noticed that Al's last name was not Elric.

"I see." Ikeda flipped through the papers one last time, and Ed could tell he was looking for an excuse to question them further. Then he stuffed the papers back into their wallet, and handed it back to Ed. "Welcome to Japan, Mr. Elric and Mr. Heiderich." He stumbled a little over the last names, and Ed saw his expression darken further.

_This guy is looking for a reason to become our enemy,_ he thought. _And he hates people seeing him make mistakes._

"Please follow me," he said, curtly, and turning, strode away. Higurashi, Al, and Ed snatched up their suitcases and followed him outside, to where a shiny black car awaited them.

Nothing was said as they got in the car. Higurashi sat up front, next to Ikeda, and Al and Ed settled themselves in the back seat. Ed traded glances with his brother, and saw that Al was dying to talk to him.

He gave a tiny shake of his head. Amestrian was out of the question, of course, and there was no telling whether Ikeda understood German. After all, he had read it well enough to decipher Al's passport.

"Later," breathed Al in Cretan, in a whisper that barely reached Ed's ears. Ed nodded minutely, and turned his head to look out the window.

Like Yokohama, Tokyo's main streets were lined with Western-style buildings--shops, hotels, and restaurants. And like Yokohama, signs of last year's earthquake were everywhere, from the freshly-painted newness of the standing buildings, to the piles of rubble and twisted metal piled along the riverbanks as they crossed several bridges.

They drove for nearly an hour. The Western-style buildings thinned out the further they got from the train station, and the neighborhoods began to get hilly. Soon, they were surrounded by two-and three storied Japanese houses, with sliding doors and blue tiled roofs, interspersed with the occasional red-beamed gateway that marked the entrance to a shrine.

As Ikeda and Higurashi conversed quietly in the front seat, Ed and Al both pretended a deep interest in the passing houses, and strained to overhear. Only snatches were comprehensible, but Ed gathered that Ikeda was reporting that there had been no signs of the dragon since its escape, and that Higurashi was trying to reassure him that Ed and Al would be able to find it.

Ed wasn't so sure about that, but he would do his best. They hadn't come all this way just to fail again, he told himself. He hoped Higurashi hadn't been lying to them when he told them that there was something about the Bone-eater's Well. Something special.

_A way home. _

_**Historical and canon notes for this chapter:**_

The Japanese_Tokubetsu Koutou Keisatsu_(Special Higher Police), also known as _Tokkou,_was roughly equivalent to the FBI in the US, but with a much more anti-democratic flavor. It was established in 1911, specifically to investigate and control political groups and ideologies deemed to be a threat to the public order. The splinter group mentioned in this chapter, Descendents of the Dragon, is entirely my own invention.'


	7. The Sunset Shrine

02

_Tokyo, May 1925_

The car finally came to a stop at the base of a hill. There was a flight of steep stone stairs running up the hill, which covered in trees and crowned with one of the red shrine gateways.

Smiling, Higurashi turned around in his seat as the car pulled up to the curb at the base of the stairs. "My home," he said to Ed and Al, in English. "The Sunset Shrine."

Escorted by Ikeda, they lugged their suitcases up the stairs, their luggage growing heavier with each step. Ed's automail arm didn't feel fatigue, of course, but he still found himself winded when he finally reached the top of the hill.

Al staggered up behind him, his cheeks red and panting noisily. Souta Higurashi, annoyingly enough, was scarcely breathing hard as he came to a stop under the red gate and looked around with an air of satisfaction.

Ed felt a pang as he recognized that look. Higurashi had come _home._

"This shrine is over a thousand years old," he told Ed and Al proudly, still speaking in English for Ikeda's benefit.

Ed wasn't sure why Higurashi wanted to hide the fact that they could understand and speak Japanese, but he was willing to go along with the older man's plan...for now.

"Our Japanese culture is very ancient," Ikeda puffed, as he brought up the rear.

Ed was about to remark that the buildings looked awfully new for a thousand-year-old shrine, when he remembered what Higurashi had told them about the earthquake.

Glad he hadn't opened his mouth, he looked around the paved terrace, set with stone lanterns and a single huge tree that was surrounded by a fence and encircled by a thick hemp rope strung with paper banners.

"It's a beautiful place," Al said, when he had caught his breath enough to speak.

"Where's the well?" demanded Ed, looking around. The only well-like structure in the area was a long water-filled basin in front of the largest building, but it wasn't anywhere near large enough for a human—or a dragon—to pass though.

Ikeda looked surprised. He held up a preemptory hand to forestall Higurashi's reply.

"All in good time, Mr. Elric," he said. "There are certain preparations that must be made, as I am sure you understand. We would not ask you to hunt a dragon without the proper equipment." He gave Ed an obviously false smile, and inclined his head in a not-quite-bow.

_So close and yet so far…!_ "Look, I just want to—" Ed began but protest, but Al put hand on his shoulder.

"We can look for it later, Brother," he whispered, in Cretan again.

Ed yielded, but fumed as Higurashi led the way the steadily upwards. The shrine buildings were scattered over the top of the hill in a series of terraced courtyards, surrounded by low walls and connected by shallow stone steps.

They followed Higurashi across the main terrace, past a number of interesting-looking buildings, up a short flight of shallow stone steps, and around the back of what looked like the main shrine building.

There, they found a wrought-iron garden gate set in a tile-topped wall. Inside the gate lay an ordinary (if rather overgrown) garden, and a new two-story Western-style house.

Ed saw a face at one of the upstairs windows. Then the face vanished, followed by the sound of excited shouts from inside the house. The front door slid open with a bang, and a group of boys of varying ages ran out, shouting, "Souta _no nii-san!_ Souta _no nii-san!_ Welcome home!"

Higurashi put down his suitcase, and Ed saw him give his first real smile since they had encountered Ikeda at the train station.

"I'm home," he said in a rather choked-sounding voice to the boys, who surrounded him, jumping, talking in a rapid tumble of voices, tugging on his clothes, and hugging him around the waist.

Ed caught fragments of the boys' comments. "--glad you're home, Older Brother!" "Why were you gone so long?" "--thought you were _never_ going to come back--" and "Who are _they?" _

The milling group of boys--Ed saw there were only six of them, but their frantic energy gave the impression of a much larger crowd--came to a halt and turned to stare at Ed and Al.

"These are my guests, Edward Elric and his brother, Alphonse Heiderich," Higurashi said in Japanese, and then switched to English. "Please give them your greetings."

The youngest boy, who looked about eight or nine, stood staring at them in wide-eyed fascination, while the older boys bowed and chorused raggedly in English, "How do you do, Mr. Elric, Mr. Heiderich?"

Like Ikeda, Al's German alias gave them some difficulties with pronunciation. Ed and Al looked at each other, and reaching agreement in a single glance, Ed told them, "Please, just call us Ed and Al."

The two oldest boys, who looked like twins, shuffled forward after a nudge from Higurashi, and hesitantly stuck out their hands.

"My name is Shiro," said the boy on the left, and Ed took his hand and shook it. "And my name is Shou," added the boy on the right, shaking Al's hand. "We are very pleased to meet you, Ed-san and Al-san!"

The exercise was repeated with the younger boys under Higurashi 's fond eye.

Ed found out that there were two sets of twins--in addition to Shiro and Shou, who were sixteen, there were Kaoru and Yoshi, who were twelve. The remaining boys were Takeshi, a sturdy-looking fourteen-year-old, and the youngest, Ryuichi, who looked to be about seven.

The boys also greeted Ikeda, politely enough but with a great deal less enthusiasm, and Ikeda eyed the boys with an expression as sour as if he had been sucking on lemons.

Then, to everyone's relief, Ikeda declined an offer of tea, and turned to go. "I will return tomorrow," he said in English to Ed and Al, making the statement sound threatening, somehow. "We have many preparations to make."

"I look forward to it," said Ed, telling the truth. _And I'm sure I can talk Higurashi into letting us look at the well as soon as you leave._

Something in Ed's expression must have given him away, because Ikeda added, "I will of course, leave one of my associates here to assist you, should you require any help before I return in the morning."

_Fuck. He's setting a watchdog._ Ed bared his teeth at Ikeda. "Yeah, I appreciate all your efforts."

He made no attempt to disguise the contempt in his tone, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Higurashi's worried expression.

At the moment, he looked nothing like Mustang, despite the similarities in face and features. For one thing, the Colonel would never have let a slimy little bastard like Ikeda push him around.

But there was nothing to be done now. Maybe later, though…

Ed watching Ikeda disappear around the corner of the main shrine building, then followed Higurashi and Al into the house, pausing to remove his shoes in a little foyer.

The inside of the house looked pretty much what Ed would have expected from a household filled with orphaned teen-aged boys.

Higurashi stopped as he saw the chaos of books, clothing, toys, and dirty dishes, and sighed.

"I'll make tea, nii-san!" offered Shiro, and he ran towards the back of the house without waiting for a reply. "Ryuichi--go buy something at the bakery!" he commanded the youngest over his shoulder.

"Okay." The boy dashed back to the front door, nearly falling over in his haste to put on his shoes.

Higurashi led the way into a larger room, which was furnished with a single low table, a scatter of large square cushions, and shelves.

There was less of a mess in this room, but Higurashi still looked dismayed. The other twin, Shou, grabbed Takeshi and the set of younger twins, and the four boys began grabbing armfuls of books and toys, and removing them from the room.

Ed watched them with bemusement. Higurashi had not uttered a single word of reprimand, and yet his brothers were acting as if he had barked orders like a general.

In short order, the room was cleared, a battered-looking lacquered tray with a teapot and handle-less cups had been set on the hastily-wiped table, and five of the six boys quietly sat down on the perimeter of the room.

Higurashi poured tea for all of them, serving Ed and Al first.

Ed looked at the contents of his cup. The tea was pale green, and he didn't see either sugar or cream on the tray. He raised his cup to his lips, and took a cautious sip. It was different from sweet, dark tea he had known in England, but it wasn't bad.

A short while later, the youngest boy came running in, breathing hard and carrying a large package wrapped in paper. Ed guessed that his mission at the bakery had been successful, a guess that proved correct when Higurashi opened the package, revealing smooth white buns.

"Ryuichi bought his favorite kind," he said, a little apologetically. "They are filled with a sweet red bean paste. I know it is not what you are accustomed to, but I hope you will try it."

Ed and Al each took one, and Higurashi distributed the rest to the patiently waiting boys. This was apparently the signal for everyone to start talking.

Like the tea, the bun was not what Ed had expected. It was light but chewy and contained a dark filling that reminded him of sweet potato in taste and texture, if not color. He took a second bite, decided he liked it, and stuffed the rest into his mouth. He looked over to get Al's opinion, and saw there were only crumbs left on Al's plate.

"It's good," Al said, unnecessarily, around his own mouthful.

Meanwhile, the boys were peppering Higurashi with rapid-fire questions. "Nii-san, what was America like?" "Did you see any cowboys?" "Nii-chan, Ikeda-san was mean to us!" "Nii-san, will you be going away again?" "Nii-san, how long are those foreigners staying with us?"

Higurashi chuckled, and held up his hand. "Boys! One question at a time!"

He pointed at his brothers in turn, answering their questions. "America was a very large country. It took us four days to cross by train. It's a very rich country--we ate beef with nearly every meal. But I did not see any cowboys. Edward-san and Alphonse-san have come to help me find the dragon that ran away. I do not know how long they will be staying. And--" he raised his finger to his lips. "Now I am going to tell you a secret. You must promise not to let anyone outside this house know, and especially not Ikeda-san or any of the other policemen."

"We promise," chorused the boys.

"We don't like Ikeda-san, anyway," added one of the twelve-year-old twins. Ed couldn't tell if it was Kaoru or Yoshi.

"He yelled at us a lot," added the other twin. "Even when we weren't doing anything wrong. He yelled at Ryuichi, too, and made him cry. At least _we_ never cried."

"I did _not_ cry," Ryuichi said, indignantly.

"You did! You were a big old crybaby!" Kaoru—or maybe it was Yoshi—insisted.

"You're lying. You're both liars!"

"You did _so_ cry! He did, didn't he, Takeshi?"

Higurashi cleared his throat and stopped the argument before it could escalate, earning him a grateful look from Takeshi.

"About the secret," he said loudly, and the brewing argument stopped immediately. "Edward-san and Alphonse-san both speak Japanese fluently, but we don't want Ikeda-san or the other to find out. So, can you remember to speak English to our guests whenever you're outside?"

"We promise," said Shiro and Shou, and the other boys nodded solemnly.

"Now," said Ed. "I know Ikeda nixed the idea, but Al and I would really like to take a look at your well, without the police breathing down our necks the whole time."

"It would be very helpful," Al added.

Kaoru and Yoshi had apparently taken an instant liking to him, and were sitting on either side of him, showing him some brightly-printed papers.

"I'm sorry, but it's impossible." Higurashi looked down at his teacup. "If Ikeda-san finds out that we had disobeyed him…"

"But he _won't_ find out," Ed burst out. "None of us will tell him, right? We can sneak around the cop he left behind."

"There will be other watchers, I am sure of it," Higurashi said. "Perhaps the neighbors have been suborned, or there are others watching the shrine. I cannot risk it."

"But," Ed began, marshalling his arguments for another attempt, only to be interrupted by Al.

"Professor Higurashi, who are the Tokkou? And why are you so, um, _worried_ about them?"

Higurashi's gaze dropped back down to his tea. He studied it for a long moment, as if seeking answers in the steaming liquid. "The Special Higher Police have the authority to investigate and control political groups and ideologies deemed to be a threat to public order," he said. "Things in Japan are not the same as they are in England, or America. I myself have known of several students and professors who ran afoul of the Tokkou and simply…disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Al asked frowning. "You mean, no one ever heard from them again?"

Higurashi nodded. "And there are rumors that some of the labor union leaders who supposedly died in the earthquake were actually taken away by the Tokkou." He shivered a little. "I understand your impatience, Edward-san, after such a long journey, but I do not want to risk angering the police by disobeying them over such a small thing. Please wait until Ikeda returns in the morning to visit the well."

The boys had fallen silent, and were staring worriedly at their older brother.

Ed choked back the protests he was going to make about not being pushed around by the likes of Ikeda. "Okay," he said, unwillingly.

Higurashi cleared his throat, and clearly forcing a smile, said, "Besides, we have had a long day of traveling today. Surely, you and your brother wish to rest and refresh yourselves first, before beginning your quest for the dragon?"

oo0oo

Dinner in the Higurashi household was a chaotic but cheerful affair. The kitchen had a large, Western-style dining table, (with Western-style chairs, Ed was glad to note, since he had found sitting on the backless living room cushions increasingly uncomfortable as the afternoon passed) and with a bit of squeezing, the boys made room for Ed and Al.

Ed's first attempt to use the slender chopsticks caused him immense frustration, and occasioned much laughter on the part of his young hosts. His cheeks burning with frustration, he pursued a slippery piece of meat around the communal serving dish, only to have it slither away time and time again from between the lacquered sticks.

And how in the hell was he supposed to eat the bowl of rice that had been placed in front of him without a fork or spoon? He glared around the table, and saw Higurashi and his brothers merrily shoveling food into their mouths using the devilish implements.

At least Al looked as stumped as Ed felt, and a scatter of spilled rice grains around his bowl bore witness that he wasn't doing any better at actually getting food to his mouth.

Finally, Takeshi took pity on Ed, and after a futile attempt at explaining how to hold the chopsticks, took Ed's right hand, his eyes widening a bit at the unexpected feel of the automail beneath Ed's glove, and manually arranged Ed's fingers.

One of the older set of twins--Shou, maybe?--did the same for Al, and things went a little better after that. At least Ed got some food into his growling stomach, though he still managed to spill an embarrassing amount over the tabletop...and the front of his shirt.

After dinner ended, it was back to the floor cushions as the Higurashi brothers caught each other up on all that had happened in the eldest's absence. One of the miko, or shrine maidens, was getting married, and they needed to find a new one. Old lady Michiko, one of the neighbors, had passed away in her sleep a few weeks ago, at the age of 102. The new roof over the main storeroom was leaking, and the roofer wanted to charge them a fee for repairing his shoddy workmanship.

Ed and Al were quizzed at great length about England and Germany and Amestris, and Al entertained the boys with stories about days when Ed had been the youngest State Alchemist in Amestris's history, and Al had been a soul bound to an empty suit of armor. Ed wasn't sure if the boys believed any of it, but Al did spin a good tale.

Except the parts where he gleefully remembered how Ed had screwed up something, or blown up something he shouldn't have.

Finally, it was time to retire, and Ed discovered the great advantage that Japanese houses held over European houses--with a minimum of furniture to move, and the beds consisting of thin mattresses placed directly on the woven flooring, with quilts and pillows added, it was easy for his hosts to transform the living room into a guest bedroom.

The assorted squabbles and thumping footsteps gradually died away as the household settled down to sleep.

Despite the long day of traveling, Ed found that he wasn't sleepy. He lay quietly on the hard bed in the darkened living room, watching the moonlight pour through the window and spill onto the floor like a pool of liquid mercury, and wondered what tomorrow would bring. He had traveled halfway around the world on little more than a fanciful story from a man who might be lying to him, and yet he found himself afraid to hope.

What if this Bone-eater's Well turned out to be another disappointment in a long year of disappointments?

"Brother?"

Ed turned his head, and looked at Al, who was curled up under his quilts a bare foot away. "Can't sleep either?"

Al shook his head. "I've been thinking...what if--"

"No," Ed interrupted harshly, pushing back the doubts gathering like shadows on the ceiling overhead. "It's gonna be different this time. If Envy could open a portal, then we can, too."

"Okay." Al sighed. "Good night, Brother. And..." he hesitated briefly. "Thank you for everything."

Ed shivered suddenly. Al's words sounded too close to _Goodbye_ to be comfortable. "It'll work, you'll see," he said, with a confidence that he didn't feel.

_It has to work._


	8. The Boneeater's Well

04

_Tokyo, May 1925_

The following morning, Ikeda showed up just after breakfast, which consisted of grilled fish, soup, pickles, rice, and more of that pale green tea. Fortunately, there was also coffee, much to Ed's relief, though he and Higurashi were the only ones who drank it.

Ikeda was fairly radiating anxious interest under the practiced sourness of his expression as he led Higurashi, Al, and Ed outside, and that was just fine with Ed.

It had taken Ed a long time to fall asleep last night, and more than once, he had contemplated sneaking out of the house and investigating the shrine grounds on his own. Only Higurashi's genuine fear of Ikeda's wrath had restrained Ed, but he hated being thwarted.

Ed saw that the large open terrace in front of the shrine's main building was now piled with guns and rope and sacks and even a harpoon, a short, wickedly barbed spear of metal and wood with a long tail of rope coiled underneath. And there were guns. Lots of guns.

And he fucking _hated_ guns.

"What the hell is all this?" Ed demanded, just barely remembering in time to ask his question in English.

Ikeda blinked at him, and Ed nudged a rifle with the toe of his shoe.

"Ikeda-san," Al said, with his usual courtesy, and Ed felt rather than heard Higurashi's relieved sigh. "Brother and I would like to know: why have you brought all of this equipment?"

Ikeda made an odd grimace, and Ed realized two things: one, Al had forgotten to speak in English; and, two, that grimace was meant to be a smile.

Ikeda was smiling at them.

"Alphonse_-kun,"_ he replied, slowly, still smiling that shark's smile. "I must compliment you on your Japanese. And seeing how little baggage you brought, my associates and I did not want to send you on your dragon hunt bare-handed."

Out of the corner of his eye, Ed saw Higurashi bow. "That's very generous of the Special Higher Police, Ikeda-san" he murmured, every inch of his frame radiating an exquisitely courteous _fuck-you._

Ed gaped in awe for a moment--maybe there was something to this killing-with-courtesy thing, after all.

Not that he would ever have the patience to play that game. Ah, well, everyone had their limitations. Ed liked to think he had grown up a little since his days of storming around Amestris, his adolescent temper perpetually on a short fuse.

"And do you, Elric-san, also speak Japanese?" asked Ikeda shrewdly, in that language.

Ed blinked, and thought about lying. Then he said, in Japanese, "Yeah. I do. Sorry," he added, belatedly.

Ikeda glared at Higurashi. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, and Ed remembered his first impression of the man.

Higurashi spread his hands. "They meant no harm, Ikeda-san. It was simply that although they are both excellent students of our language, neither Ed-kun nor Al-kun wanted to lose face by making mistakes on their first meeting with you. Nothing more," he said, soothingly, and even Ed nearly believed him.

Maybe Higurashi was more like Colonel Mustang than Ed had thought.

In any case, his explanation seemed to soothe Ikeda's ruffled feathers. He drew himself up. "Now, if you please, Professor Higurashi, you will show our two guests how the dragon escaped."

oo0oo

Ed and Al followed Higurashi into a small, newly-rebuilt shrine building that stood to one side of the terrace. The dim interior of the building was still redolent with drying paint and freshly-cut wood. Just inside the entrance, steps led down to a floor of hard-packed earth, and to a simple, square, wood-rimmed well in the center of the building.

Conscious of Higurashi's nervous eye and the eager gazes of his younger brothers, who had followed them into the well-house, Ed swung his legs over the edge of the well, feeling splinters dig into his right thigh--the flesh one--through his woolen trousers. There was a rope ladder fastened to the inside of the well, and Ed began to climb down, followed by Al's lanky frame.

Finally, he reached the bottom, and stood for a moment, looking around the enclosed, stone-lined space.

Unlike the other places they had tried, Ed could _feel_ the ground under the soles of his shoes, eager somehow, and pulsing gently, like a living thing. He drew a shaky breath, trying to push down a sudden, ridiculous surge of hope.

Al seemed to feel it, too. He stood for a moment, swaying slightly, then turned his face to Ed. "Brother, this place is _different."_

"Yeah." Ed gave a curt nod, and waved at the eager faces overhead.

A second later, a familiar, heavy roll of canvas came crashing down between them.

Ed and Al dragged it into position, and began to unroll the stained cloth on the hard-packed earth at the well's bottom. Ed realized almost immediately that the bottom of the well wasn't big enough to accommodate the transmutation circle, even if they ruthlessly trimmed the unmarked edges of the cloth.

He cursed in German, the language with the most satisfying mouth-feel for swearing.

"Is everything all right?" Higurashi called down.

"Just a minor hitch, Professor," Al answered. He kicked experimentally at the dirt floor of the well, and said, in a lower voice, to Ed: "We could scale down the transmutation circle and just scratch the pattern with sharpened sticks."

"Chalk would work better," Ed said, thinking. He tilted his face up, and yelled, "Hey, Professor, do you think you could put your brothers to work? We need a bunch of powdered chalk in a bag, and a couple of paper cones."

They climbed back up the ladder, after re-rolling the canvas and tying a rope around the bundle to haul it up after them.

Ikeda was displeased at the delay, but the younger set of twins, Kaoru and Yoshi, set to grinding up sticks of chalk, using mortars and pestles with great enthusiasm.

While they waited, Ed and Al picked through the gathered supplies. By unspoken agreement, they both avoided the guns--not that they would be useful for stopping Envy, anyway--but some of other items looked useful, like the rucksacks, blankets, and rope.

Ed lifted the harpoon and hefted it, then added it to the pile. That might come in useful, he thought, recalling how Envy had been captured by the Thule Society in the first place.

When a goodly amount of crushed chalk and the requested paper cones were ready, Ed and Al climbed back down the rope ladder to the bottom of the well, and set to work.

First, they traced the outer perimeter of the transmutation circle, using a stick and string as a primitive compass. When that was completed, they started to sketch the symbols that comprised the transmutation equation, using the cones to provide a steady trickle of chalk to outline the patterns they marked in the dirt.

That's when they began to run into problems.

"Damn it, Al, would you watch your fucking elbows?" Ed snarled, after his brother had bumped him for the third or fourth time. This time, he'd gotten a sharp jab in his eye that made his vision dissolve in bright speckles.

"I'm sorry, Brother," Al said, meekly. "But it's an awfully small space in here."

"Wouldn't be a problem if someone hadn't decided to turn into a giant all of a sudden," Ed grumbled. "Look, Al, there's only room for one of us down here, and I've got the transmutation circle memorized."

He did _not_ add, _And I'm smaller than you are, and it'll be easier for me to move around down here._

Al looked crestfallen. "But, Brother--"

Ed held up a hand to forestall his protest. "Why don't you go finish picking out the stuff we'll need? For all we know, we might be camping out in the wilderness somewhere, so make sure you pack plenty of food."

"Okay," Al said, doubtfully.

"It'll save time, if you're doing that while I finish filling in the transmutation circle," Ed said, and relenting under Al's kicked-puppy look, added: "I'm not mad, honest. I just want to get this done and over with."

"Okay," Al said, but this time he looked happier.

oo0oo

Two hours later, they were done. The transmutation circle, limned in white chalk, seemed to glow from the dim depths of the well, as Ed and Al donned a pair of now-bulging rucksacks, and prepared to descend the rope ladder one last time. To their surprise, Higurashi joined them, his rucksack dangling from one hand.

"Ikeda-san and his associates have kindly offered to care for my brothers while I accompany you and assist you with retrieving the dragon," he said, tightly.

By which Ed understood that Ikeda had ordered Higurashi to go with them, and was holding the younger boys hostage again.

_Bastard,_ he thought, not daring to look in Ikeda's direction. If he made eye contact, the temptation to clock the policeman with an automail fist might prove just a little too tempting.

Ikeda stood at the well's rim, peering down, his hands clenching the wood. "Are you certain you don't wish to take even a pistol?"

Ed shook his head. "Wouldn't help much against a dragon, and besides, I have an idea of how to bring him back in human form. If nothing else, that'll make him easier to carry."

"Human form? The dragon is a--a _human?"_ Ikeda was openly incredulous, and even Higurashi looked doubtful.

"Envy is a shape-changer," Al explained, as he swung one long leg over the rim of the well. "He can take any shape he likes, but there's a price. Brother and I think he was trapped in dragon form in this world because alchemy doesn't work here."

"But we need a _dragon,"_ Ikeda said, his mouth thinning.

"Don't worry," Ed said, with deliberately insolent cheerfulness. "I'm sure we can convince him to change into a dragon, or elephant, or whatever, once we're back. But I'm not carrying a fucking dragon up this rope ladder."

Ikeda exhaled. "I understand. But if you return with someone who cannot change shapes, then it will go badly. For all of you. Do _you_ understand?"

_Should have decked that bastard while I had the chance, _Ed thought, but he merely nodded, and followed Higurashi down the ladder.

Once they were at the bottom, the three of them flattened against the cold stone walls of the well in an effort to avoid stepping on the lines of the transmutation circle, Ed pulled out his pocketknife and scored his palm.

"Okay." He grinned nervously at Higurashi, feeling that odd sensation underfoot again, like a giant, subterranean beating heart. "Moment of truth."

Across from him, he saw Al's intent look as he bent over the transmutation circle, his own hand dripping red.

"Ready, steady, go," croaked Al, and both brothers bent and slammed their hands down on the white-drawn lines before them.

The transmutation, when it sprang to life under their hands, was absolutely blazing.

_It's going to work this time! It's really going to work!_


	9. Separation Anxiety

04

_Tokyo, May, 1925_

As the glow of transmutation blazed around them, Ed felt the ground beneath his feet pulse...and then drop away.

The stone walls of the Bone-eater's Well faded away, replaced by a void, sprinkled with stars and hung with curtains of shimmering energy in violet and pink.

Ed braced himself for the stomach-turning sensation of falling, but instead, he found himself floating, tugged gently like a leaf on the surface of a slow-moving stream. It was a gentle motion, unlike the violent dislocation of passing through the Gate.

He looked around frantically, and relaxed a little when he saw Al and Souta floating nearby.

Just below their feet, suspended in the void, the intricate pattern of the transmutation circle burned steadily with azure light.

Souta looked ecstatic. "I knew it! All those stories about the well--"

He was interrupted by an explosion of brilliant rose-colored light that began to swallow the transmutation. Ed fought to keep the energy of the transmutation going, but it was no use.

He felt himself engulfed in the cool, tingling fire, and then everything vanished.

oo0oo

Alphonse, too, fought to keep the transmutation active. Then there was a soundless explosion of pink, and he abruptly found himself plunked back in the Bone-eater's Well.

He staggered backwards, and felt his rucksack bounce off the wall behind him.

His heart was beating fast, and despite this temporary setback, he felt more optimistic than he had in months.

Brother was right! All they had to do was make a few more adjustments to the transmutation circle, and they'd be able to keep the transmutation going long enough to stabilize a portal.

They could go home!

He felt a little ashamed that he'd ever doubted, but really, Brother could be a little...optimistic at times.

He turned to grin at Ed, and found himself face-to-face with Higurashi and a stranger, a Japanese girl wearing a scandalously short skirt and sailor blouse.

Al blinked. _Wha--who?_ But before he could gather his wits, the girl spoke.

"Where's Inuyasha?" she asked, looking remarkably composed for someone unexpectedly finding herself at the bottom of a well with two strangers.

Alphonse blinked at her, and averted his eyes hastily from the length of slim, smoothly muscled leg showing beneath the green pleats of that _extremely_ short skirt.

She was very pretty, he thought, and swallowed, hard, praying his voice wouldn't crack. "Who?"

Then it struck him--there were only three people at the bottom of the well…the girl, Professor Higurashi, and himself.

"Where's Brother?"

oo0oo

"So only one of the brothers was able to follow the dragon?" Mr. Ikeda asked, a short time later, when the three of them had climbed back out of the well.

He studied Al, then the girl, and smiled nastily. "Well, that's all right, I suppose. If we have Alphonse-kun here, then that provides an incentive for Elric-kun to return to us if he succeeds in finding our dragon."

He narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. "And this girl--is she a foreigner? A Korean spy? Where are her papers?"

She drew herself up, brown eyes snapping with annoyance. "I'm _Japanese,_ and my name is Higurashi Kagome," she announced. "This is my family's shrine. Who are _you?"_

Her tart tone reminded Al pleasantly of Winry, but he saw immediately that it had been the wrong tack to take with Ikeda. _Oh, no._

Mr. Ikeda's face darkened.

Then Higurashi stepped in. To Al's relief, he said, with a large, false smile, "Kagome-chan! How nice of you to come visit us again!" He turned to Ikeda. "Ikeda-san, this is my cousin Kagome. She'll be replacing Fumie as a shrine maiden. I'm not certain how she got into the well, but I can vouch for her."

"Who is _that?"_ Kagome asked Al under her breath, while Higurashi was talking.

"Higurashi Souta. He's the head priest--" Al stopped speaking as Ikeda turned his attention back to them.

"I--It's true. I--I work here as a miko sometimes, when Cousin Souta needs me," she said, looking only a little nervous. "I'm not sure how I got here, either, but I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I should probably be going home, so if you'll just let me--"

She smiled at Ikeda, gave a polite bow, and started to walk past him.

He caught her arm with what looked like a painfully tight grip, and Al saw Kagome's eyes flash dangerously.

"Oh, no, you don't, Higurashi-san, if that's _really_ who you are," Ikeda said. "No one's leaving this shrine until I can ascertain what is happening here. And no one is to enter the well-house again without my express permission. Do you understand?"

"But Inuyasha--" Kagome protested, just as Al said, "But my brother--"

Ikeda glared at both of them. "I am holding Professor Higurashi and his family responsible for your actions. _Do you understand?"_

"Yes, sir," Alphonse forced himself to say, meekly.

He had never possessed his brother's volcanic temper, but right now, he ached for the chance to beat the officious policeman to a pulp with his bare hands.

But then, Mr. Higurashi and his brothers would be punished, and Al certainly didn't want that on his conscience.

No, he would play nice for now, and try to figure out a way to get back into the well, and activate the transmutation circle again.

He glanced over at Kagome, and saw that she looked ready to explode. He'd seen that look often enough on Winry's face. Al reached out, and put a calming hand on her shoulder.

When she jumped, he whispered, "Please, Miss Higurashi. I'll think of something. I promise."

She gave a tiny nod, never taking her eyes off Ikeda. "I understand," she said to Ikeda, reluctantly, and the policeman gave a tight little smile.

"Good." He turned to his men, and addressed a lanky, middle-aged man. "Hasegawa-san, I want you to assign armed guards for this well-house. No one goes in or out of here without my express permission.

"But what about Brother?" Alphonse couldn't help asking.

Ikeda shrugged. "If Edward-kun climbs out of that well, you had better pray he has a dragon in tow."

oo0oo

Ikeda stayed for the rest of the afternoon, drinking tea served to them by a grim-faced Takeshi, and quizzing Higurashi and Kagome about Kagome's identity. They answered smoothly for the most part, as if they really _had_ known each other for years and Alphonse began to wonder whether the girl was telling the truth about being a member of the Higurashi family. Souta hadn't denied it, after all.

For his part, Alphonse remained mostly silent, nibbling on the crunchy, salty-sweet rice biscuits served as a snack while he tried to come up with a plan for reactivating the transmutation circle and joining Brother.

His gaze kept landing on Kagome, though, derailing his train of thought. She was fifteen or sixteen, with lively brown eyes, a sweet smile, and a thick, slightly curling mane of black hair. And those legs...

He noticed that Ikeda kept staring at them, too, and other man's leering attention made Al curl his hands into fists. He felt protective and jealous at the same time, which was ridiculous, he told himself. After all, he had only just met Kagome.

Finally, when the smells of cooking began to drift from the kitchen, where the older twins were preparing dinner, Ikeda finally left, much to Alphonse's relief, and no doubt, Higurashi's as well.

With Ikeda safely out of the house, Kagome knelt back down on the floor cushions with a sigh, her tantalizingly bare legs tucked neatly underneath her. "Professor Higurashi, why did you help me with that scary man?" she asked. "This is the first time we've met, so how did you know I was telling the truth?"

"Two reasons." Higurashi smiled a little. "The first is: I do not like 'that scary man' very much. And as for the second reason--wait here a moment, please."

He left the room, and Kagome exchanged a puzzled glance with Alphonse. He shrugged to show that he was equally puzzled.

Higurashi returned a few minutes later, a framed, sepia-toned photograph cradled in his hands.

"Oh!" Kagome blinked at the photo. "That's--"

"--my mother's wedding portrait," Higurashi said, just as Kagome continued, "--my great-grandmother's wedding picture."

Al craned his neck to see, and Higurashi offered him the photo. It was true--the young woman shown in the formal kimono and wedding headdress could have been Kagome's twin sister.

"Your great-grandmother?" Higurashi echoed. He took back the photo from Al. "Kagome-chan, exactly _who_ are you?"


	10. Stranded

07

_Tokyo, May 1925_

When Great-uncle Souta's excited questions finally subsided, Kagome stepped outside to look at the shrine, her head pounding from the stress of the afternoon's long interrogations.

First there had been Ikeda, with his malevolent attempts to trap her into saying something he could arrest her for, and then Great-uncle Souta, who had been so excited, and who had had so many questions that she had tried to avoid answering.

_I don't want to risk changing the past,_ she had told him time and again, in the face of his eager queries. Instead, she had restricted her answers to generalities about Mama, Jii-chan, and her brother Souta, and the fact that the Sunset Shrine was still in existence and thriving in 1997.

Had the well really brought her to the 13th year of the Taishou era? To 1925?

She heard the sound of rustling, and saw that the youngest boy, Ryuichi, had escaped his chores to perch on an ornamental boulder in one corner of the garden, a brightly-printed book spread open on his knees.

_Ryuichi, Ryuichi,_ she thought, staring hard at him while trying to remember what Mama had told her about Jii-chan's date of birth and boyhood. Was that little kid _really_ her Jii-chan!

Ryuichi looked up, gave her a conspiratorial grin, and put his finger to his lips.

She smiled back automatically and nodded, feeling a wave of sick dizziness pass through her.

_Stop it!_ Kagome told herself. _You're used to traveling 400 years back in time, so why should seventy-something years bother you so much?_

But this all _felt_ wrong, in a way that time-traveling to the Sengoku-jidai never had. Not only because she wasn't sure what she was meant to do here, but also because she was separated from Inuyasha.

She thought of his cocky grin, and his fierce protectiveness, and she felt like crying.

That wouldn't do. She had to keep a calm head right now, and figure out how to get back to her friends.

Trying to distract herself, she walked over to the wrought-iron gate that separated the house from the shrine, and gazed longingly over at the well-house, but the stern-faced policeman standing in front of the sliding door was staring in her direction. So close, and yet so far!

With a sigh, she looked around at the grounds. The shrine buildings all looked familiar, yet different. The biggest difference was the two-story house behind her. It looked brand-new, but it was definitely not the same house as the one she had grown up in.

With a shiver of dread, she remembered Jii-chan telling her how this house had burned..._would burn..._ during the fire-bombing of Tokyo in World War Two.

Another wave of that sick feeling passed through her as she realized she knew what would happen to most of the lively crowd of boys currently cooking dinner inside the house.

There was a horrible reason that Jii-chan, the youngest, had eventually become head priest of this shrine.

She had to warn them!

But _could_ she? What if she changed events in her own time in some bad way?

She had already been responsible for one disaster--the shattering of the Shikon no Tama--in the Sengoku-jidai. What if she ruined things in her own time, as well?

If she told her great-uncles about their future, then would Jii-chan still become the head priest at this shrine? And if he didn't, how would Mama ever meet Papa? Would Kagome and her little brother Souta even be born?

She might disappear! She might never be pulled into the well, never meet Inuyasha!

She might never...shatter the jewel.

_Oh. _

_Is that why I'm here now? Am I supposed to change history again, and undo the terrible thing I did the first time I traveled to the Sengoku-jidai? _

Kagome's fingers tightened around the bars of the wrought-iron gate as she swayed. _Is that it? Is warning Great-uncle Souta and the others really the thing I'm meant to do here? _

Her mind went blank for a few moments as she wrestled with the possibility of erasing her own future to fix the past.

Then she remembered what Great-uncle Souta had just told her about Great-aunt Akiko's death in the earthquake last year.

If she was meant to go back and change history, she hadn't been sent back far enough. Her family history had already changed: in Kagome's present, Great-aunt Akiko hadn't died until she was eighty-six.

Kagome remembered the old woman well. Kagome always liked visiting the apartment that Akiko had shared with Great-uncle Souta after he retired from the university. Despite her diabetes, Great-aunt Akiko had always had a box of sweets tucked away for her great-niece and great-nephew… The apartment's many bookshelves had been crammed to bursting with mysterious scientific books written in English, German, and Russian, and there were fascinating souvenirs from their extensive travels scattered everywhere.

So, perhaps Akiko's premature death in this past was part of the problem.

Kagome frowned.

And what did the tall foreign boy have to do with it? And what was the strange design he and his brother had drawn on the bottom of the well? Alphonse-kun was definitely part of this mystery, especially with his older brother vanishing through the time-slip.

Kagome remembered how tendrils of blue light had reached up out of the void, dragging her away from Inuyasha. Before she had even had time to scream, she had found herself sitting on the floor of the well, with a lot of strangers in old-fashioned police uniforms staring down at her.

Had Alphonse-kun's brother ended up with Inuyasha in the Sengoku-jidai? If he had, Inuyasha would be so grumpy!

Despite her worry, Kagome smothered a giggle.

He would be grumpy, and complain a lot, but she was certain that Inuyasha and the others would do their best to help Alphonse-kun's brother, especially if he was as polite and nice as Alphonse-kun.

That would be her next step, Kagome decided. If she couldn't look at the well herself, she would talk to Alphonse-kun about what he had been doing there. She not dared to ask for explanations earlier, not with Ikeda already so suspicious of her sudden appearance in this time and place.

She took one last look over the familiar-strange grounds of the shrine, and went back inside the house.

She found Alphonse-kun where she had left him, hunched over the low table in the living room, intently scribbling on a sheet of paper. From what she could see, he was sketching a design that looked like the one traced on the floor of the well.

Kagome approached him hesitantly, wondering what language to address him in. From his name and his hair color, he was probably German. She had studied English in school, but she didn't know any German.

But he had spoken in Japanese to her earlier, hadn't he? He had been very quiet during Ikeda's visit, but he seemed to understand everything that Great-uncle Souta said to him.

Well, there was no other way. Kagome would try English, and see if she could find out what he had been doing in the well.

"Er, excuse me, Mr. Heiderich?" she asked, in English, stumbling over the complicated syllables of the German name.

The foreign boy's head flew up. He stared at her for a second, his fair skin reddening in a blush.

He was quite good-looking in a European way, with golden hair, large hazel eyes, and a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of his nose.

"Please, call me Alphonse, or just Al," he replied in oddly-accented Japanese. "I was just trying to figure out how to get Brother back--Oh!" He looked up at her, his gaze almost immediately dropping down to her knees.

He stopped speaking for a long moment, seemingly enraptured by her legs.

She tugged self-consciously at the hem of her mini-skirt, and his gaze flew back up again to her face. His blush deepened and he looked distinctly flustered.

"Please, sit down!" He hastily scooted around the table on his knees, sweeping together the pile of papers as he went.

His first name would definitely be easier to pronounce than his last name. And he looked like he was about her age. "Al-kun, please call me Kagome."

He nodded, and smiled. It was a very nice smile. "I--it's very nice to meet you, Kagome-san. I know we've been together all afternoon, but with everything that happened--" he made a vague gesture in the direction of the well-house, "We haven't been introduced. Professor Higurashi invited us--that is, Brother and me--to visit. We're from England, but we were living in Germany before that. It was a really long journey. I had no idea America was so large..." he ground to a halt, and his cheeks reddened again. "Sorry. I talk too much."

Kagome dropped her eyes under the weight of his disconcertingly direct gaze. "I hope you don't mind me asking, Al-kun," she began. "But what, exactly, were you doing in the well? And what does that horrible Ikeda-san want from you?"

Al sighed. "It's a long story, Kagome-san. But first, since you came to us through the well, do you think Brother might have gone to the future, to your time? "

Kagome settled herself more comfortably on the cushion, and propped her elbows on the table. "I don't know."

At Al-kun's look of dismay, she added hastily: "What I told Great-uncle Souta is true: I really am from 70 years in the future. But what I didn't tell him, because I didn't think he'd believe me, is that this isn't the first time I've traveled through time using the well."

"Really?" Al looked torn between curiosity and skepticism.

Kagome saw curiosity win out.

She nodded. "I spend nearly every weekend in the Sengoku-jidai…um, that corresponds to sometime in the late 16th century in the European calendar…with Inuyasha, and some other friends. That's where I was going when we, um, bumped into each other, and I ended up here."

"But why do you travel there? From everything I've read, it was really dangerous back then. Lots of wars and bandits."

_Not to mention all kinds of demons, and most of them after the jewel,_ thought Kagome, but she didn't say it aloud. "There's something very important that we're doing there, and I _have_ to find a way back."

"But Ikeda forbade us to go near the well-house." Al chewed on the end of the pencil he was holding. "Not that there aren't ways around that…And you think Brother's gone to the Sengoku-jidai, and he's with your friends right now?"

"It's possible," Kagome said.

"That's more worrying than Brother going to your time, but he can take care of himself." Al's shoulders relaxed. "I was afraid that Brother might just be…_gone."_

"Al-kun, exactly what _were_ you doing in the well? And what are those designs?" Kagome reached out a tentative finger, and touched the drawing on the top of the stack. It was a set of graceful arcs and intersecting lines set in a circle, with various symbols drawn in.

He gave her another shy smile. "I think we have a _lot_ to talk about. Do you know anything about dragons?"


	11. Chimera

05

_Musashi's Domain, 16th-century Japan_

There was dirt beneath him, and the sound of birdsong somewhere far away.

Ed sprawled on the remains of his carefully-chalked transmutation circle, gasping for breath as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

Had he miscalculated something? Had that explosion been an alchemical backlash?

_Oh, shit. _What had he lost this time?

He moved his arms and legs experimentally, and gave a sigh of relief. Everything was still there.

A terrible thought occurred to him. _Where's Al?_

"Al?" Edward asked, his chest tight with dread. "Al, are you okay?"

A shape stirred next to him, then exploded into motion.

Ed found himself pressed flat on his back as a heavy weight landed on his chest, choking off his air. Blinking, he stared up into furious eyes the same shade of gold as his own.

"Where's Kagome?" his attacker asked, in a rough voice.

"Wha--who?" Ed saw the animal ears perched on top of the other's long, silvery hair, and the fangs showing in a snarl.

Shock coursed through him.

_A chimera! Did we make it back home to Amestris?_

"Kagome," his attacker repeated, giving him an impatient shake. "What have you done with her?"

"Who's Kagome?" Ed tried and failed to heave the chimera off his chest. "Where's my brother?"

The chimera leaned close, and Ed noticed that its golden eyes were slit-pupiled, like a cat...or a homunculus. He tried again to dislodge his attacker, but even his automail was no match for the thing pinning him down.

He felt claws pricking his flesh shoulder through his jacket and shirt.

"Give it up," the chimera growled. "You ain't going anywhere until I get some answers. Now, for the last time: _where is Kagome?"_

"I don't even fucking know who fucking Kagome _is!"_ Ed howled. "Now, get the fuck off me!"

He twisted violently, but to no avail. The chimera glared down at him, obviously debating which of Ed's body parts to remove first.

"Inuyasha, you're back!" a high, boyish voice echoed down the walls of the well.

Ed looked past the chimera, to see a circle of blue sky framed by vines overhanging the lip of the well straight overhead. The well-house was gone.

There was an auburn-haired little boy peering down at them. "You'll _never_ guess what happened! Someone stole the jewel from Narak--hey, who's that?" the boy interrupted himself. "Where's Kagome?"

_Kagome again?_ thought Ed.

"Dunno," growled Ed's attacker, who was apparently named Inuyasha.

Without releasing its hold on Ed, the chimera reached over and scooped up a large yellow rucksack sitting on the floor of the well.

Then, before Ed could react, it hauled Ed to his feet, grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt and _sprang_ upwards.

_It's jumping? This far up…?_

A moment later, Ed found himself sprawling on grass. He blinked, disoriented. _What kind of chimera is it? Part frog?_

Then his surroundings caught his attention.

He was in a clearing surrounded by trees, the square mouth of the well an arm's length away. No buildings anywhere. There were no familiar sounds of streetcars, automobiles, or machinery--no matter how he strained his ears, Ed heard only the sound of the wind, and a few birds.

The Sunset Shrine--in fact, the entire city of Tokyo--had vanished.

Just where the hell had he ended up _this_ time? And where were Al and Professor Higurashi?

Ed's heart began to pound, and his stomach jumped unpleasantly.

Had he been sent into a lonely exile, yet again? Finding himself stranded in Europe had been bad enough--at least he had had hope then, that his sacrifice meant that Al had been restored to his human body back home.

But now…What if the alchemic rebound had claimed Al again, and once again it was all Ed's fault…?

_I can't think about that right now,_ Ed told himself, swallowing down the panic rising like vomit in his throat._ Gotta focus. Gotta find out what's going on here. _

There were two people staring at him with undisguised surprise: a young Japanese man, about Ed's age, clad in the flowing black-and-purple robes of a Buddhist monk, and a pretty Japanese girl wearing a long kimono and an apron.

He looked around, and found the chimera sitting nearby, cross-legged, its hands tucked into its wide red sleeves, its golden gaze fixed intently on Ed.

The little kid hopped onto chimera's lap with the boldness of long familiarity, and Ed noticed that the kid had a large, auburn fox-tail to match his auburn hair, and fox-paws instead of feet, though his hands looked human.

_Another chimera? Poor thing!_

"Inuyasha, who is this person? Is he a youkai?" asked the monk.

The chimera--whose name was apparently Inuyasha-- shook its head. "He smells human."

"But look at his hair! His eyes!" the kid sitting on Inuyasha's lap protested, pointing at Ed.

"Hey," said Ed, indignantly. "Look who's talking! _I'm_ not the one with a weird tail, or ears."

"Fuck off," growled Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, why didn't Kagome-sama come back with you?" asked the monk, a little anxiously. "You didn't make her angry at you again, did you?"

"Nah," Inuyasha replied with disgust. It pointed at Ed with a clawed finger. "She was with me in the well, then some kind of weird thing happened. And now _he's_ here, she's not. Keh."

"Perhaps he is a youkai, after all," the monk mused, studying Ed. "There's _something_ about him..."

"He smells kind of funny. Like the way Kagome smells sometimes, but a lot stronger. And there are strange sounds coming from his arm and leg," the fox-tailed chimera kid piped up.

Inuyasha sniffed in Ed's direction, and Ed saw its ears twitch.

"Hey, you're right, twerp," it said, giving the kid a light bop on the head. "He smells like one of those iron-carriage things in Kagome's time. And I hear that weird sound, too. I think he's wearing armor under his shirt--I felt it, before."

"So he _is_ a youkai?" asked the monk. He glanced at the girl. "What do you think, Sango?"

"He has no youki, houshi-sama," the girl said, then turned to address Ed. "Who are you?"

They were speaking Japanese, but an odd form that sounded a lot like the archaic Amestrian that Ed had encountered in some of his alchemy research books.

Ed sighed, and stood up. "My name is Edward Elric, and I am _not_ a demon."

He took off his jacket, stripped off the glove from his right hand, rolled up his sleeve, and flexed metal fingers. "I lost my right arm and left leg in an accident. They were replaced with something, ah, similar to armor." He looked around, and decided the monk looked the friendliest. "Okay, now that I've answered your question, how about you answer one of mine: where the hell am I?"

The girl approached him cautiously. "I've never seen armor like that before," she said, looking eagerly at his exposed automail. "Kagome's world is filled with wonders, or so Inuyasha tells us, but to replace missing limbs with something like this? Amazing!"

Well, her reaction was better than some he'd gotten over the years, but he still hated the attention that his automail drew. Ed hastily rolled down his shirtsleeve and pulled his glove back on.

He shrugged, and sat again. "It's okay. I'd rather have my real arm and leg back, though."

"Of course," murmured the girl, backing away a little. "Forgive me if I made you uncomfortable. It's just that the smiths in my village were always trying to find some way of crafting things like this, for all the men who lost limbs in the war..."

"But, to answer your question," the monk stepped in smoothly. "You are in Japan. And since we have been told that the well allows certain people to travel through time, I should also tell you that it is currently the 25th year of the reign of Emperor Go-Nara. Kagome-sama tells us that our era is known as the Sengoku-jidai in her time."

Ed gaped at her. Still in Japan, but nearly 350 years into the past? _Shit._

The Bone-eater's Well wasn't a gate between worlds, after all.

"Did--did anyone else come with me? A boy with hair almost the same color as mine, or a Japanese man wearing clothing like mine?"

The monk and the girl both shook their heads, and Ed's heart sank.

Okay, so the possibilities were: One, Al and Professor Higurashi were still back where they had started from. That was the best possibility, because it meant that Al was safe. Or as safe as he could be, with that creep Ikeda hanging around.

Two, Al and Higurashi had ended up in _another_ time altogether. That would be bad.

Three, the Gate had swallowed Al, soul and body, and Ed was stranded here alone, and his brother was dead. That was…well, Ed didn't want to think about it.

If he didn't think about it, then maybe it wouldn't be true.

_Don't panic! Just find a way out of this._

Besides, the chimera--Inuyasha--looked like it was doing enough panicking for the both of them. It began leaping in and out of the well with desperate energy, an impressive string of curses floating up from the bottom of the deep pit every time it landed.

The monk shifted his staff, topped with a gilded metal ornament and several chiming metal rings, and sat, gracefully cross-legged, next to Ed.

"And I have neglected to introduce myself," he said gently. "My name is Miroku, and I am a Buddhist monk and companion to Inuyasha." He inclined his head in greeting, and Ed returned the gesture.

The girl was watching Inuyasha with a troubled frown, but she turned and bowed politely to Ed. "And I am Sango, a _youkai-taijiya_...that is, a demon slayer. I am also companion to Inuyasha."

"And I'm Shippou, a kitsune!" the fox-tailed chimera said exuberantly. "I'm going to be a mighty taiyoukai when I grow up!"

"Who--or what-- is Kagome?" Ed asked quietly. "Is she a youkai, or a chimera?"

"I am not certain what a chimera is," Miroku answered, "but Kagome-sama is a human girl, and the reincarnation of a powerful miko. She travels through the well from her land, which is also Japan, but in another era."

"And this thing?" Ed indicated Inuyasha with his chin, "What is it? Her pet?"

Miroku looked displeased, though his tone remained gentle. "Edward-sama, Inuyasha is not a _thing, _nor is he an_ it. He_ is a hanyou, half-human and half-demon, and--"

_"Not_ a fucking animal," interrupted Inuyasha, leaping out of the well, having apparently overheard Ed's last question.

Inuyasha landed in front of Ed with a sweep of wide scarlet sleeves, and grabbed the front of Ed's jacket, hauling him to his feet. "I've heard enough out of you, you bastard. Whatever spell you wrote into the dirt down there fucking broke the well. _Now fix it!"_

Ed felt his temper snap. He'd been trying to act like the grownup here, but to be blamed for this? When he'd rather _die_ than be separated from Alphonse again? When he didn't know if his brother was still alive or not?

"Get your fucking hands off me," Ed snarled, driving upwards at the weak point in Inuyasha's grip with all the strength in his automail hand.

It worked--Inuyasha stumbled back a step, releasing Ed's jacket.

Ed flowed immediately into the fighting stance that Izumi Curtis had beaten into him years ago, and spun, lashing out with his leg--the flesh one--and catching Inuyasha in its--_his--_midriff.

Inuyasha should have folded and gone down. _Should _have.

Instead, Ed's kick didn't do much more than force him back another step.

Inuyasha cursed, and rushed forward, leaping up and kicking out in a move that Ed knew well from hours of sparring with Al.

He ducked the callused foot aimed at his head, and it missed him by millimeters.

But the move had brought Inuyasha within arm's reach again, and Ed sent his automail fist crashing into the hanyou's jaw.

Once again, the blow had little or no effect.

Ed was able to parry Inuyasha's return punch, but the incredible force of the blow sent him skidding across the grass on his ass.

"He has a very refined fighting style, _houshi-sama,_" Ed overheard Sango remark.

"Indeed, his form is very elegant," replied Miroku, "but as a mere human, Edward-sama doesn't have the strength to inflict any real harm, and Inuyasha knows it."

"Indeed, _houshi-sama,_" said Sango. "He's not using his claws, nor has he drawn his sword."

_What the hell? He's going easy on me?_ Ed thought, furious, but over the next few minutes, as he continued to trade blows with Inuyasha, he found himself grudgingly admitting that the monk was right.

He was landing a lot more blows than Inuyasha, but none of his strikes appeared to be doing more than occasionally rearranging Inuyasha's flowing silver hair, and perhaps mussing his clothing a little.

Ed, on the other hand, was slowly being crushed by Inuyasha's brute strength.

Only one blow in eight was landing, but each of those blows, even the glancing ones, connected with bruising force. Ed tasted blood and felt loosened teeth in his left cheek after failing to completely dodge a punch to his jaw, and his eyesight was marred by bright speckles as he backflipped out of range.

_Ha!_ he thought, hoping for a second to catch his breath and clear his vision

Then a heavy blow between his shoulderblades sent Ed sprawling forward. How had Inuyasha gotten behind him so quickly?

He tried to get up, but hard, heavy pressure--Inuyasha's knee, most likely--dug into Ed's spine, crushing him against the grass and dirt. "Okay, you bastard, now I'm gonna _make_ you lift the spell you put on the well."


	12. Reluctant Ally

09

_Musashi's Domain, late 16th century_

Ed squirmed fruitlessly against the iron weight pinning him. "I'm an alchemist, not a magician," he protested. "There was no spell."

"Oh, dear," he heard Miroku remark. "This is going to get very unpleasant."

"You think I'm stupid?" Inuyasha sneered above Ed's head. "I _saw_ the pattern."

"It's a transmutation cir --" Ed started to explain. The weight increased, and he began to have trouble breathing. It felt like his lungs were being crushed.

"I don't fucking _care_ what it is," Inuyasha hissed, and Ed felt sharp claws dig into the tender skin of his throat. "I just want you to _fix_ it."

"I--" Ed's vision was starting to get blurry now from lack of oxygen. "Can't bre--" There was a rushing in his ears, his lungs were burning, and he could feel his heart straining.

_Alchemy... _Inuyasha hadn't bothered to pin Ed's arms. Without thinking, a transmutation circle sprang into Ed's mind, and desperately he clapped his hands together to complete the transmutation, an instant before he remembered that alchemy didn't work on this side of the Gate.

_And something happened._

Ed felt the ground at his side heave, and the air was suddenly filled with the smell of damp earth.

"Hey!" he heard Inuyasha yell.

The weight disappeared abruptly from Ed's back, and he rolled away, gasping air--_sweet air!--_into his starving lungs. After a moment, he was able to sit up, and focus on what had just happened.

_Did I just...?_

Ed looked up to see Inuyasha trapped in a column of stone, imprisoned up to his shoulders. _It worked!_ For the first time since leaving his own world, Ed had been able to transmute something with ease.

Ed couldn't help it. He grinned triumphantly, which earned him a fanged snarl from his captive.

"Hey, that guy's a sorcerer," Shippo called.

"A powerful sorcerer," Miroku agreed. He leaned on his staff, and studied Ed consideringly. "Now what will you do, Edward-sama? You've won this fight--for now--but I believe that Inuyasha will manage to free himself shortly."

It was true. Much to Ed's dismay, Inuyasha's frantic stuggles were beginning to crack the newly-formed stone imprisoning him. _Shit. Just how strong is this guy?_

"So, what do you want me to do?" Ed snapped. "He started the fight."

"Indeed, but I believe the fault lies with both of you," Miroku replied tranquilly. "An apology for the misunderstanding, and perhaps an explanation about what you were doing in the well might go a long way towards resolving this situation."

"It's true, Edward-sama," Sango said, coming to stand next to Miroku. "You may have won this fight, but it's only because Inuyasha was restraining himself. After all, he once killed a dragon with only his sword."

"Speaking of dragons..." Ed said. "You wanted to know why I was in the well? Well, I'm looking for a dragon. One, in particular."

Miroku raised his eyebrows, and Sango looked interested. Neither of them appeared to think that Ed was crazy for suggesting that dragons existed.

"We--my younger brother and I--need to find this dragon. It's complicated, but it's the only way we can get home again."

"I see," Miroku said.

"Don't you _dare_ help him!" Inuyasha yelled from his pillar-prison. "Not until he gives back Kagome!" He wriggled wildly, and Ed saw another crack appear in the stone surrounding him.

"We might be able to help you," Miroku said, raising his voice slightly to be heard over Inuyasha's curses. "But first, you must release Inuyasha."

"Only if he promises to behave himself," Ed said, snidely.

_Brother, don't be an ass. _The voice of Ed's conscience sounded suspiciously like Al.

Miroku and Sango were looking at him expectantly.

"All right, all right. But if he kills me, it's your fault." Ed sighed and looked up, addressing Inuyasha. "I'm sorry, okay? Maybe I _did_ break something in the well. But I didn't mean to. We--my brother and I--were only trying to get home. I'll do my best to fix it. But, yeah, um, sorry. I apologize."

Ed tried to figure out if there was something else he should say, since Inuyasha's furious golden glare hadn't subsided, but that was pretty much it.

He closed his eyes, and summoned the transmutation circle he had used to create the earthen bonds--now crumbling--that held Inuyasha captive. He reached out, found the flow of energy that triggered the transmutation, and reversed it, to decompose rather than create.

Inuyasha staggered forward in a shower of loose dirt, and fell to his knees.

The hanyou was trembling, and Ed saw that his face had gone a little greenish under his tan and a fine sheen of perspiration.

"Are you all right?" he asked, keeping a cautious distance in case this was a trick of some kind.

Inuyasha shook his head, as if trying to clear it.

"Feel...a little dizzy..." he muttered, and began to retch.

"Inuyasha!" cried Sango, rushing forward and falling to her knees next to him.

"Did you poison him?" she asked Ed, sharply.

Ed shook his head. "I just..." A sudden thought occurred to him, and he fell silent. _Alchemy shouldn't work here, but it does. Why?_

Inuyasha continued to heave, making unhappy strangled-sounding noises. Sango helpfully gathered the mass of his long silver hair, and held it back with one hand, while rubbing his back comfortingly with the other.

_What's going on with him?_ Just a few minutes ago, Ed was convinced that the hanyou was going to rip him limb-from-limb.

Ed heard the musical jangle of his staff as the monk came alongside him. "I think," Miroku said, solemnly, "that perhaps you should refrain from using your magic, or alchemy, or whatever it is that you call it. It seems to have an adverse effect on Inuyasha's _youki, _which isthe source of his demonic power."

_Oh._ "I didn't mean to--" Ed began.

"Like you didn't mean to seal the well?" Inuyasha asked bitterly, wiping his mouth with a clawed hand. He still looked pale, but at least the vomiting had stopped.

"Perhaps it is only sealed from this end," Miroku suggested, soothingly. "Perhaps Kagome-sama will rejoin us soon, since she can travel through the well on her own."

"I'll remove the transmutation circle--uh, that pattern in the dirt," Ed volunteered. "Or I can redraw it, and try opening the well again with a transmutation...but, um, that might not be such a good idea." He cast a look at Inuyasha, feeling a pang of guilt.

"Perhaps we should save that as a last resort," Miroku agreed.

"Kagome has a jewel shard, so maybe she can use that to open the well," Shippo said.

"The well--it really does open by itself? And people can travel through it?" Ed asked.

Sango nodded. "Though only Kagome and Inuyasha--and now, you--have been able to use the well. The rest of us have tried, upon occasion, to travel through it, but for us, it remains simply a dry well."

_Shit._ Ed kicked gloomily at a clump of dirt. "My brother is somewhere in that well. We opened the gate, or portal, or whatever-it-is, because we needed to hunt that dragon. And then something happened, and I ended up here, alone."

"So, it's possible that your brother and Kagome-chan are in the same place," Sango said. "Perhaps we should work together to find them."

"Are you crazy?" demanded Inuyasha. "This is the guy who _broke_ the well in the first place, and you want to _help_ him?"

"I _said_ I was sorry about that!" Ed snapped. He and Inuyasha exchanged glares.

"This dragon," interrupted Miroku. "You said you were hunting it. Did it come from your world, then?"

Ed nodded.

"Then perhaps Sango's news may interest you. Inuyasha, too." Miroku said.

"While you were away, fetching Kagome-chan," Sango said. "We received news that a dragon stole the Shikon no Tama from Naraku."

"Naraku apparently invited the dragon to his castle to offer an alliance, and the dragon betrayed him," Miroku added.

"No shit?" Inuyasha asked, and then, alarmingly, he began to laugh. "Naraku got double-crossed?"

"It was certainly a very unusual thing for a dragon to do," Sango continued. "And so, I wonder whether this is a foreign dragon, perhaps even the same one that you are pursuing, Edward-sama."

"If that is the case, then we should definitely join forces," Miroku said.

"No!" Inuyasha growled. "No fucking way."

"If Edward-sama is a powerful sorcerer, this might be our best opportunity to reclaim the jewel," Miroku argued. "Especially if Edward-sama is pursuing this dragon, anyway. Why not work together?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms defiantly. "How about he fixes the well, first? We need Kagome if we're going after the jewel."

"I agree," said Miroku. "Re-opening the well would be a sign of good faith on your part, Edward-sama."

"Believe me, I want my brother here just as badly as you want Kagome," Ed said, fervently. "I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything."

"Then it's agreed." A small, unusual-looking cat sprang up on Sango's shoulder with a mew. She petted it, and Edward noticed that it had two tails. "We'll wait for you to bring Kagome and your brother here, and then we'll go on a dragon hunt together."

"Deal." Ed stated, with a confidence he didn't feel. How the hell was he going to reopen the well, especially since he had just promised not to use alchemy?

Canon and historical notes:

Although the year is never stated explicitly in _Inuyasha,_ I've assigned a date of 1551 for the Sengoku-jidai setting, based on historical references made in the series to Oda Nobunaga as "that fool from Owari," an epithet that predates the beginning of his career of conquest, and the existence of cannons and artillery in some of the episodes. This corresponds to year 25 of Emperor Go-Nara's reign (1526-1557)


	13. Exercise in Futility

**Author's Note:** A big shout-out to ThisIsMeSmiling at MediaMiner, for noting a huge consistency glitch. This version of the chapter corrects the error...thanks, Amber!

_Musashi's Domain, 16th-century Japan_

Over the next week, Ed discovered several interesting things about the new world he found himself in.

The first was that the food of the average Japanese peasant consisted of rice, vegetables, more rice, more vegetables, and occasionally, some fish. By the sixth day, Ed decided that he was willing to kill for some roast beef or pork chops.

Secondly, the supernatural was a real and active force here; something that his skeptical scientist's mind found difficult to accept.

And, most importantly of all, no matter what he tried, neither the well nor his alchemy refused to come to life again.

It was the afternoon of his seventh day in the Sengoku-jidai, and the transmutation circle he was _positive_ would work this time--hadn't.

"Fuck it," Ed said in disgust, and his voice echoed up the well.

Another failure, and he'd had to campaign hard with his new acquaintances to even be allowed to _try_ alchemy. Only the fact that he had exhausted his other options, and that they really needed this Kagome person, had convinced them.

In a transparent ploy to help Inuyasha save face while moving him safely out of the range of ill effects, Sango had suggested the hanyou youth accompany her to help clear out a nest of rat-youkai infesting the granary of the next village over.

At first, Inuyasha refused to leave his vigil next to the well, and only a vigorous application of Miroku's logic (and a thump over the head with his staff) convinced Inuyasha that Edward's plan would only succeed if the hanyou was not hovering anxiously on the fringes of the transmutation, puking up his guts.

Agreeing to the plan hadn't stopped Inuyasha from scowling sullenly, though, as he reluctantly followed Sango out of the village.

The youkai-exterminator had been dressed in close-fitting leather armor, reinforced with plates of youkai bone at shoulders, knees and elbows, and she was carrying a large--and extraordinarily heavy, Edward discovered, after an experimental heft--youkai-bone boomerang strapped to her back. She might be pretty, and petite, but she was definitely _not_ a frail blossom of womanhood.

As he and Miroku had watched Sango and her hang-dog companion disappear down the narrow dirt track that connected this village to its neighbor, Ed had heard the monk sigh and saw his shoulders slump a fraction.

"You like her, Miroku-sama?" Ed had asked, using the variant of _like_ that had a romantic connotation.

Miroku had nodded. "Very much. She's promised to marry me after Naraku is defeated, and the jewel reclaimed."

That statement had made Ed blink in astonishment. He hadn't seen anything between the two of them that pointed to a romantic relationship. Hell, Sango didn't even call Miroku by name, consistently referring to him instead as _houshi-sama_. And they were engaged to be married?

The Japanese language might be like Amestrian, but that's where the similarity ended. Ed had found the elaborate courtesies of modern-day Japan difficult enough; the customs of medieval Japan were puzzling beyond all belief.

And it didn't help that almost all of the villagers, with the exception of old Kaede-sama, the village priestess, considered Ed a youkai because of his hair and eye color, and avoided him with cautious politeness.

"Uh, congratulations," Ed had offered awkwardly, and that had been the end of the conversation as he and Miroku watched until Inuyasha was safely out of sight.

Then Ed had lowered himself into the well and spent the morning painstakingly smoothing the dirt at the bottom and tracing a new transmutation circle.

Which proved an utter failure. He had gotten nothing more than the feeble blue glow that his blood always kindled, but it had died away almost immediately.

Ed stared down at the intricate, _useless_ pattern drawn in the dirt, and felt like smashing something. _Why?_

_Why_ had he been able to open the well, before? And why had he been able to transmute once in this place, but not again?

His flesh palm was crisscrossed by fresh and half-healed cuts, which itched and throbbed like crazy. He was sweaty and covered in dust and the rice-flour that substituted for chalk in this place.

And, worst of all, Ed was now completely out of ideas.

It was an uncomfortable and unusual position for him to be in. He always had a plan for _everything._ His plans were what had kept him sane during his quest to regain Al's body, and afterwards, during his long, solitary exile in Germany on this side of the Gate.

But now, he didn't know what to try next. Cursing made him feel better for few seconds, but didn't help anything, not really.

"Edward-sama?" Miroku peeked down over the rim of the well, the sun glinting off the small gold hoops in his earlobes.

"It's no use," Ed said, roughly. His vision blurred--he must have gotten some of that damned rice-flour in his eyes--and he dragged a grimy shirt-sleeve across his face. "I'm _never_ going to be able to get this well to do whatever it did before I came here. It would help if I knew how it worked--how can I figure out _anything_ if I don't have any fucking data?" His voice rose to a near-shout.

Miroku's dark brows drew down in a concerned expression, but he said only, "Why don't you climb up and have some food? It's past noon."

Shippo's auburn head popped up next to Miroku's. "Kaede-sama sent lunch for us," he said. "And there's Pocky from Kagome's backpack."

Right on cue, Ed's stomach growled, loudly, and Miroku chuckled. "Perhaps a full stomach and some sunshine will stimulate your thoughts, and help you solve the problem."

Ed grasped the knotted rope that served as a makeshift ladder and began to climb up.

Kaede's luncheon, wrapped in bamboo leaves, proved to be the ubiquitous _onigiri,_ rice balls filled with seasoned items. There were also bamboo containers filled with green tea and a large, checkered waterproof cloth to sit on.

"Something from Kagome-sama's world," Miroku explained, as he spread the cloth out on the grass."

The three of them ate in silence for a few minutes. Ed finished off one rice ball stuffed with what looked and tasted like salted, dried minnows, and bit cautiously into the next one, which contained a tiny, extremely sour pickled plum. It wasn't bad, but he was definitely yearning after a thick roast beef sandwich, layered with good English cheddar cheese and slathered with horseradish.

When the last of the onigiri had vanished, Miroku wiped his fingers on a cloth napkin, handed around the containers of lukewarm green tea, and waved away Shippo's grudging offer to share his box of chocolate-covered biscuit sticks for dessert.

Then he folded his hands in his lap, and waited in that calm way he had, while Ed marshaled his thoughts.

"The thing is, it _should_ have worked," Ed began, "my transmutation circle, I mean. I've never had anything _not_ work, not like this."

Miroku furrowed his brow, thinking. "It might help me understand the problem, if you explained how this alchemy works. You will forgive me for saying so, but what you've been doing bears a strong resemblance to writing out a spell, or a charm."

Ed nodded. Despite Miroku's suspect status as a clergyman in Ed's atheist eyes, he had found the young Buddhist monk to be an intelligent and interesting person.

"As I've said before," Ed began. "It's not magic, it's science. What you do in alchemy is learn how something works, then take it apart and re-form it as something different. Those are the three principles: understanding, decomposition, transmutation." Ed began to warm up to his subject as he talked. "And the law that governs transmutation is Equivalent Exchange. You can't get something from nothing...for example, I can't take a pebble and transmute a boulder...but if I take a boulder, I could transmute a statue of equivalent mass with it."

"But merely understanding something is not enough to change it," Miroku observed.

"That's where the circles--those patterns I draw--come in. They're actually equations that allow me to focus the energy for a transmutation, and to control the results."

"And where does this energy come from?" Miroku asked, hitting the heart of the matter.

"That's the thing, see?" Ed said, excitedly. "That's why I wasn't able to use alchemy in this world before, because a transmutation draws its power from a force that passes through the Gate that separates this world from my world. But it doesn't seem to work the other way, so the whole time I've been here--in my time, that is--I haven't been able to activate a circle without using the blood of someone...or something...from my world. Al and I discussed this, and we think that maybe the blood somehow serves as a conductor for energy from the Gate."

"And this is why you need the dragon?" Miroku asked, shrewdly. "So you can--what was the word?--_transmute_ a way back to your world?"

"Yeah," replied Ed. "I mean, it worked before." He remembered his brief journey home with a pang of guilt. If only Dietlinde Eckhart hadn't managed to pass through the Gate as well! But the death and destruction that she and her cohorts had caused in Central had left Ed with no choice but to return to his exile, so that he could seal the Gate and prevent further invasion of his homeworld.

"And what you did to Inuyasha--encasing him in a column of a stone--that was also transmutation?"

Ed nodded, and Miroku frowned. "But there was no blood, nor did you draw a transmutation circle."

"That's just the thing," Ed said, slapping his automail palm against the picnic. "I shouldn't have been able to _do_ alchemy in this place. I, uh, don't always need a transmutation circle, but I do need that energy, and I can't figure out where it came from. And why I can't do it again."

"Hmm." Miroku pursed his lips, and fell silent for a few minutes, his dark gaze turned inwards, while Ed did his best not to fidget. Finally, he spoke again. "Edward-sama, will you tell me everything you know about this transmutation energy? It seems to be the key to resolving this problem."

"Well, none of my teachers or fellow alchemists know much about it," Ed replied. "It was just _there,_ you know, and alchemy studies focused on how to manipulate that energy to get the results you wanted. Alchemists have specialities--for instance, my commanding officer in Amestris was an expert in using fire--" Ed realized he was beginning to digress, and pulled himself back on-topic. "Okay, so, anyway, my brother and I started looking for something called the Philosopher's Stone, that would allow us to circumvent the Law of Equivalent Exchange--"

"Why?" asked Miroku, looking interested.

"It's, um, a long story," Ed said, uncomfortably. "Anyhow, one thing led to another, and we discovered that the Stone was made from human lives--thousands of 'em--and that transmutations were powered by deaths on the other side of the Gate. Actually, it's probably not really the death, but the life-energy being pulled through the Gate after someone dies on this side--"

"Your alchemy is powered by the souls of the dead?" Miroku asked, his composure now visibly rattled.

"Just like Kikyo?" asked Shippo, but neither he nor Miroku added any explanation of who or what _Kikyo_ might be.

Ed frowned. "I'm not sure that alchemy is powered directly by souls," he said, carefully. "But, yeah--someone dies on this side of the Gate, and some kind of energy is released to power transmutations on the other side. But that still doesn't explain how I was able to transmute dirt into stone last week."

"So, you were able to draw upon transmutation energy then, but not now," Miroku mused. "What has changed? What is different now?"

"Inuyasha's not here?" Shippo interjected flippantly, mumbling around a mouthful of chocolate-covered biscuit sticks.

Miroku's expression brightened. "Of course!" he said. "Perhaps it's not merely death-energy that powers your alchemy, Edward-sama. What if the _youki,_ the life-energy of a demon, also works?"

Ed blinked, trying to remember exactly what he had been doing when he performed the transmutation. Inuyasha had been on top of him, pinning him to the ground...

"Maybe that's why he got sick after you performed your spell!" Shippo said, excitedly. "If you drained his youki...he's only a half-breed, after all," the boy added, wrinkling his nose.

All the pieces suddenly fell into place for Ed. "You may be right," he said. "I wonder if there's a way we could test this theory without Inuyasha breaking my arms..."

Miroku cocked his head, and Ed saw a mischievous smile curve the monk's mouth. "Well, we _do_ have a full-blooded demon available..."

He reached for Shippou, and the little kitsune backed away hastily.

"Miroku, don't you dare!" cried the boy, and vanished with a pop and a puff of green smoke.

Ed blinked, but after nearly a week, the fox-kid's illusions were no longer as startling as they had been at first.

"Inuyasha might just prove the key to reopening the well," he said, feeling hope begin to claw its way out of the black abyss of disappointment that had claimed it earlier today. "If it's not too dangerous. I mean, I wouldn't want to suck the life out of him, or anything. But I'm sure it'll work, and that we can open the well and get Al--and your Kagome, of course--back!"

"But what if it _doesn't_ work?" asked Miroku, still in that pleasant tone. "What then?"

Ed shrugged, trying not to think of another exile in a strange land, not knowing where--or _when_--Al was. "Maybe we can find a more powerful demon--or the dragon. If not, we're out of options, and I guess I'm stuck here."

"Stuck here, with no way of returning Kagome to us?" Miroku asked, his voice suddenly hard. His pleasant expression vanished. "If so, Edward-sama, then I shall be forced to kill you."

"Why?" Ed said, beginning to scoot backwards on the picnic cloth. The monk's posture hadn't changed visibly, but he was now positively radiating menace.

It didn't help that Shippou had taken refuge behind Ed after casting his illusion, and was now blocking his escape path.

"If you cannot reopen the well, and bring Kagome-sama here, then you will have condemned me to death," Miroku said, softly. He flexed his right hand, which was covered by a gauntlet and wound about with rosary beads. "So, I will take my revenge first, for destroying all our hopes with your carelessness."

"But--but--" Ed flailed to his feet, ready to run like hell if the monk made any sudden moves. He tried to shake off Shippo, who was now clinging to Ed's knees, but the little demon's claws dug through the wool of his trousers and hooked into the sensitive flesh of his thighs. "Ow!"

But Miroku stayed put, though his expression remained implacably hostile. "We have not told you all of what has happened here," he continued, "but suffice it to say that I am under a curse that can only be lifted by killing Naraku and recovering the Shikon no Tama. And we cannot find and purify the jewel without Kagome-sama." He fastened his dark gaze on Ed. _"Don't fail."_

"I'll try not to," replied Ed, sourly. He paused for a moment, feeling he owed the monk something more, then continued, "Believe me, I want to reopen the well as badly as you do. Tell you what--if I fuck this up, I'll _let_ you kill me, because I'd rather be dead than separated from my little brother again."

oo0oo

Inuyasha was even angrier than usual when he and Sango returned from their extermination assignment near sunset, and heard the news of Ed's failure.

He didn't even wait to hear Ed's proposal. As soon as the words, "It didn't work," left Ed's mouth, Inuyasha's mouth twisted in disgust and he pushed past Shippou and Kaede.

The reed curtain that served as a door to Kaede's cottage rattled noisily in his wake as Inuyasha stomped off, presumably to resume his vigil at the well.

"Well," said Kaede, fixing Ed with a stern look from her single eye. "What are you going to do _now?"_ The expression on her grandmotherly face managed to convey disappointment and worry.

Ed gulped a little. He liked the old lady, and she seemed to have a close relationship with Inuyasha, odd as it seemed for a priestess and a half-demon.

"As a matter of fact, Grandmother Kaede," Ed said respectfully, "Today's attempt wasn't a complete failure--Miroku-sama and I learned something important--"

"--and I helped!" interjected Shippou, and Miroku smiled.

"Indeed, you did," he said, before picking up the conversational thread, and filling Sango and Kaede in on the new plan.

"Edward-sama, are you seriously suggesting that Inuyasha try this?" Sango asked, incredulously, when Miroku had finished speaking.

Ed nodded. "I've tried everything else, believe me. Nothing's worked."

"And do you know how dangerous it would be to drain a hanyou's youki?" Sango continued, spreading her hands for emphasis. "Inuyasha might be trapped permanently in human form--or even die. We cannot risk it."

"But do you not think Inuyasha should be the one to decide what risks are acceptable?" Kaede asked, gently. "Or have you not noticed that he's barely eaten or slept since he and Kagome were parted? If we do nothing, it's possible that Inuyasha may simply starve himself. You know the depth of the bond he shares with Kagome…"

Sango bit her lower lip, and nodded.

"You know if there was any other way, we would not ask this of him," added Miroku, in a gentle tone. "But after speaking with Edward-sama, I truly believe that this is the only path left to us." He put a hand on the youkai-taijiya's shoulder, and she nodded again.

"But there's a snag," said Ed. "I'm sure Inuyasha will say no if I suggest it, just because…well, just because it's me, so someone else needs to approach him. Maybe Miroku-sama could…"

"No, I think not," Miroku said firmly, his hand still on Sango's shoulder. "If Inuyasha is going to put his life in your hands, Edward-sama, then you should be the one to ask him to do it.

Ed swallowed his instinctive protest, and nodded. Given the monk's revelations over lunch, he felt that arguing the point would get him nowhere.

Before lunch, he had begun to consider Miroku a friend, and thought the monk might be feeling the same way.

In retrospect, it seemed painfully apparent that Miroku's cheerful assistance and friendliness had been a ploy to win Ed's cooperation in retrieving Kagome.

It was only natural, Ed told himself, trying to push down the disappointment that crept like a dismal fog into the crevices of his heart. He was a stranger here, and these people had no reason to like or trust him. And he _had_ disrupted their lives, even if it had been an accident on his part. He owed them his best effort--the principle of Equivalent Exchange demanded no less.

"I'll talk to him tonight," Ed told the group gathered in the cottage. "If he comes back."

"Or you might go to the well, and speak to him privately," Sango said.

"I think I'm the _last_ person he wants to see privately," Ed told her.

"I have an idea." Sango knelt and dug around in the giant yellow knapsack that had apparently belonged to the mysterious Kagome. She withdrew two curious, bowl-shaped packages, and partially unwrapped them. Then she held them out to Kaede so that the priestess could fill them with boiling water from the kettle hanging over the cottage's central open hearth.

Sango offered a bemused Ed the two bowls, which now gave forth garlic-scented steam.

Kaede nodded approvingly at Sango's actions. "Inuyasha is a proud boy," she said to Ed. "His life has been very difficult, but despite all this, he has a kind and generous heart. However, because he is proud, he has a difficult time expressing any softness or willingness to compromise if there are others around."

"That's why it's best if you talked to him without witnesses," added Sango. "I'm certain that he'll at least listen to what you're proposing."

"All right," replied Ed, accepting the bowls. "I'll go talk to him." Privately, he wondered if he'd be forced to transmute something again to save himself once Inuyasha heard his request.


	14. Bargain

11

_Musashi's Domain, 16th-century Japan_

Ed approached the well as the last clouds in the sky faded from tangerine to blood-red.

In the half-light, he saw Inuyasha sitting cross-legged on the ground, his back against the well, and his sword propped up on his shoulder.

Kaede hadn't been exaggerating about Inuyasha possibly starving himself to death--in the days since Ed's arrival in this time, he hadn't seen Inuyasha eating any the food that Miroku and Sango urged upon him.

Guilt churning his stomach, Ed wondered if Inuyasha had slept, either.

One white-furred ear twitched as Ed drew close, but Inuyasha made no other acknowledgement.

_Okay, this isn't going to be easy._ Carefully balancing the strangely light bowls in his hands, he lowered himself to sit facing Inuyasha.

"Hey," he said, quietly, offering Inuyasha one of the steaming containers.

He received a long, measuring glance, and then Inuyasha extended a clawed hand and took the bowl and the accompanying pair of wooden chopsticks.

Inuyasha paused to fold back the bowl's cover and sniff at the contents. "What do you want?"

Ed had been rehearsing various speeches on the walk over from Kaede's cottage, but he sensed that none of them were going to work. Time for the direct approach. "I need your help to reopen the well."

Inuyasha shot Ed a wary glance, and put the untouched bowl down in the grass.

_Well, that's more encouraging than a "fuck off,"_ Ed thought.

Trying to gather his thoughts, he folded back the lid on the soup bowl. _Interesting._ The lid was made from some sort of stiff paper, with a thin layer of metal bonded to one side. He found himself speculating how this had been accomplished without alchemy, and forced his concentration back to the matter at hand.

"Miroku and I have tried everything short of human sacrifice to get the portal to activate."

"I _know_ that," Inuyasha said.

Ed dipped his chopsticks into the bowl, and carefully lifted a skein of noodles to his lips. He grimaced at the taste. The soup was incredibly salty, with weird fishy and sweet notes. He squinted down to examine the contents of his bowl. In the rapidly-fading light, he saw it was mostly a yellowish broth with a lot of noodles, but there were a few shreds of carrot and onion and bits of dried shrimp floating around in there.

"The thing is," Ed continued, after waiting fruitlessly for Inuyasha to say something else, "Miroku thinks you're the key to getting my transmutation circle to work properly. We, uh, discussed what happened...before...and came up with some ideas..."

Ed stumbled to a halt. He wasn't nearly as diplomatic as Al, but even _he_ knew that reminding Inuyasha that Ed had kicked his ass wasn't a great way to ask for the hanyou's help.

Inuyasha's golden gaze sharpened. "Miroku thinks you can open the well if I help you?"

"Well, yeah," Ed answered. "When he and I were discussing--"

"Then I'll do it," Inuyasha interrupted. "Whatever it takes."

Ed blinked. He had been preparing himself to put up a persuasive argument. "Uh...thank you."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "I ain't doing it for _you,"_ he said. He picked up the bowl he had set aside, and began scooping noodles into his mouth. "When?" he mumbled.

"Tomorrow morning. I need to adjust the transmutation circle a bit." Ed put aside his bowl of soup. "Look, it's going to be dangerous. We need your youki to power the transmutation, and it made you really sick, before--"

"You think I care about that," Inuyasha asked, "if it'll bring Kagome back? Keh." He noisily slurped up another mouthful of noodles.

"Okay, then." Ed rose, and picked up his soup. He extended the bowl to Inuyasha. "You want this? I'm not hungry."

Inuyasha accepted it with a grunt.

"Look," said Ed, carefully. "You know I'll do everything I can, right?"

Inuyasha's dog-ears twitched sharply at this, but, his mouth full of noodles, he said nothing. His skeptical expression spoke volumes, though.

"I don't know who or what Kagome is to you, but my little brother is stranded on the other side of the well, too," Ed said fiercely. "Don't you, uh, have any brothers or sisters?"

Inuyasha stopped gulping soup long enough to say, "Half-brother. Asshole. Hates me."

_So, asshole runs in the family, does it?_ Ed thought, but did not say. "Well, _my_ brother means everything to me, and I'll do _anything_ to get him back."

It was true--and Ed had the automail to prove it.

"Good," said Inuyasha. "Just make sure that Kagome comes with him."

And that was that. At least the hanyou was eating again. That had to mean _something,_ right?

With no more to say, Ed left Inuyasha to his vigil.

oo0oo

As the clicking, whirring, iron-carriage-scented presence that was Edward Elric moved away, leaving silence and the gathering shadows of night in his wake, Inuyasha finished the last of the cup-ramen, and leaned back against the rim of the well.

_Don't expect too much,_ he told himself, but it was hard to extinguish hope once kindled in his chest.

He _wanted_ to believe Edward, damn it, despite the fact that the golden-haired stranger annoyed the shit out of him.

And Inuyasha couldn't help remembering that Ed been sure that his previous attempts would work, too. But yet, for a week now, everything Ed had tried had failed. At least, with this latest plan, Inuyasha would finally be able to _do_ something to help open the well, instead of just sitting on his ass and waiting around.

He tried to imagine a life without Kagome, without her cheer, her kindness, and above all, her unfailing trust in him.

Before Kagome, and the circle of companions she gathered in their quest for the shards of the jewel, Inuyasha had lived a lonely life, wanted by only his mother, and Kikyou. But his mother had died while Inuyasha was still a boy, and Kikyou…He rubbed the old arrow-scar on his chest, and turned his thoughts away from the pain and guilt that invariably accompanied memories of the dead priestess.

Kikyou had been his first love, but there had been something fundamentally untouchable about her, a purity of purpose that had always made him feel unworthy. She had been a powerful, respected priestess, and what was he?

Just a lowly outcast, a filthy hanyou, neither youkai nor human, and despised by both races.

He had been fascinated by Kikyou, intrigued by her strength, and finally, grateful to her for offering him a chance to belong, even if it meant giving up the advantages offered by his youkai blood. He would have happily spent a meager human lifetime expressing his gratitude to her, worshiping her.

But Kagome—well, he had never wanted to put Kagome on a pedestal and worship _her._ She might be Kikyou's reincarnation, but Kagome was...Kagome. She was not confident. She did not move gracefully. Rather than respecting her, most of the people they met were bemused by her strange attire and odd turns of phrase. Her spiritual powers were erratic at best.

But she was also kind, and strong. And when she bled, he bled ten times over. When she smiled, he felt he could slay a dozen dragons.

She was fierce indignation when she saw or heard him being slighted. She was cup-ramen when he was hungry, bandages he didn't need (but still appreciated, despite his grumbling) when he was injured, and a friend when he was lonely.

She smelled of comfort and affection and acceptance. Whether in this world or in the strange realm on the other side of the well where her family dwelt, wherever Kagome was, was home. _His_ home.

He trusted her with his life, his feelings, even his secrets.

Above all, he knew that when Kagome looked at him, she didn't see a hanyou, she saw _him._ All of him, both human and youkai. To her, he was simply _Inuyasha_.

And now she was gone, and even her beloved scent was beginning to fade from her belongings.

But during the long days of his vigil at the well, Inuyasha had not lost hope entirely. He could still feel the connection between them somehow, stretching through the well, as thin and as strong as a strand of Yura's demon-hair.

Kagome was still alive, somewhere…and still bound to him.

Edward had said he could open the well…but Inuyasha remembered, all-too-well, what it felt like when the yellow-haired foreigner performed his sorcery. The sickness, the weakness, the terrible, nauseous sensation of his life and strength being sucked out of him.

It had felt like being turned inside-out, every glistening shard of bone and nerve-ending exposed to the cruel air.

But Inuyasha would submit to it tomorrow. For Kagome.

And he would do it another hundred times, if he had to.

But that didn't mean he wasn't dreading the experience, and that the thought of it curdled and soured the hot ramen in his belly. Denying the fear didn't send it fleeing. But he wouldn't let it stop him.

He never did.

With a sigh, Inuyasha closed his eyes, sword propped against his shoulder, the comforting hum of Tetsusaiga's blade like a familiar lullaby, and willed sleep to come and erase the long hours until dawn.

_Tomorrow, I will see Kagome again._

oo0oo

"I've been thinking," Ed announced the next morning, as he arrived at the well, armed with a bag of rice-flour and a sharpened stick.

He was accompanied by Miroku, Sango, and Shippou, who carried bowls of rice porridge, grilled fish wrapped in leaves, and pots of tea.

Inuyasha, who had not been able to sleep despite his best attempts, scowled irritably at the golden-haired foreigner.

"Yeah, I can't wait to hear what you've come up with _this_ time," he said, not bothering to conceal his sarcasm.

He accepted a cup of tea from Sango and took a sip.

Ed glared in reply, but controlled himself with a visible effort. "Look, what I'm suggesting is that we do a short transmutation to begin with, just to let Al--and Kagome, too," he added, hastily, "know that we've found a way to reopen the well. If we send a note through, first, then we can open the well for a longer period in a few hours, and they'll be ready."

He was going to have to endure being turned inside-out not once, but _twice?_ Inuyasha swallowed, hard. The hot tea in his mouth suddenly tasted unbearably bitter.

"Fine," he said, gruffly. "Whatever brings Kagome back."

Ed met his eyes, and nodded. "I'll try not to use up too much of your _youki_ on the first attempt," he said quietly.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Keh. Whatever. Just get on with it."

He had lost his appetite, but he forced himself to pick up bowl and spoon, and began shoveling rice porridge into his mouth. He'd need all the strength he could get for the ordeal ahead.

He smelled the houshi's approach, incense smoke, sweat, and dusty robes overlaying his core scent, just before Miroku put a reassuring hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I brought ink and some paper from Kagome's notebook, if you want to write the note to her."

"And I'd like to write to Al, if you don't mind," Ed added. "Since we both have watches, I'll let him know what time we'll reopen the well."

_"If_ it works," Inuyasha grumbled, shoving aside the nearly-empty bowl of porridge in favor of the writing supplies--brush, ink stone, ink cake, notebook, and a small bamboo container of water--that Miroku removed from a worn wooden case. The case itself was cleverly jointed, and unfolded into a small writing desk.

Inuyasha dripped a little water into the plain oval depression of the inkstone, and began to grind the ink cake, mixing the dark liquid to the proper consistency for writing. The smoky smell of the ink brought back memories of his childhood.

Hanyou or not, young Inuyasha had still been the son of a noble family, and so, while Mother was still alive, Inuyasha had been assigned a tutor… It had been a bitter winter, and the old scholar's gnarled fingers were always cold and aching, so the first thing he had taught Inuyasha was how to grind and mix ink.

Those had been happy times. Inuyasha had been too young to truly understand how his very existence was an affront to all of Mother's human attendants. There had always been hot food and hot tea in the mansion, and the thick, soft quilts in Mother's chambers had smelled of sandalwood and white plum perfume. He had loved sleeping there, warm, and safe and surrounded by Mother's comforting scent…

Inuyasha finished mixing the ink, and flipped open Kagome's notebook to an empty page. Gazing at the pale yellow paper, he contemplated what he was going to write. He could use the formal language of correspondence that he'd been taught so long ago, but he knew she'd never believe that he'd written it.

He snorted softly, and put brush to paper with short, swift strokes, composing something that she _would_ believe.

When he was done, he put the brush down on its holder, and shoved the desk towards Edward, who had finished re-drawing his sorcery circle, and was just heaving himself up and over the wooden rim of the well.

Edward rolled to his feet, and picked up the brush, studying it briefly as if were an unfamiliar object. Then, he reached into his clothing and brought out a small, round silver object engraved with an odd creature. He pressed something and a lid sprang open, revealing a miniature of the clocks that Inuyasha had seen in Kagome's house.

Edward mumbled something, clearly talking to himself, and began to write, awkwardly, in a foreign script. When he was finished, he waved the paper in the air for a few moments to dry the ink. "Okay," he announced, folding the paper in half. "I think we're ready."

Inuyasha rose to his feet, and following Edward's lead, dropped lightly down into the familiar confines of the well.

Taking care not to step on any of the rice-flour designs, he folded his arms in his sleeves, pushing back the cold dread squeezing his chest. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, conscious of the concerned faces of his friends, peering down over the edge of the well.

Edward looked at him, his expression serious and determined. "Stand over there--" he pointed at the tip of a triangle drawn within the circle, "and follow my lead. When I put my hands down on the edge of the circle, you do the same. Try not to move, as long as you can. If you break the connection with the circle, then the portal will close."

Inuyasha nodded. "I won't move." _Not if even if my hands burst into flames,_ he vowed, silently. _I'm not moving until that message is delivered safely to Kagome._

Edward moved to the opposite side of the circle. "Ready?" he asked, and Inuyasha nodded.

Edward took a deep breath, scored his left palm with the tiny folding knife he carried, and closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating. Then, he dropped to his knees, and slapped his hands, palms-down, on the white circle. Inuyasha followed suit, and felt the same wrenching shudder run down his spine as on the day he had met and fought Edward.

Cold blue flame rose around them, and a sensation like hundreds of acupuncture needles pierced Inuyasha's palms. It was working!

Inuyasha clenched his teeth against the first wave of nausea, and concentrated on keeping his hands pressed against the circle.

_Don't move,_ he reminded himself, as the sharp tingling faded to a dull ache, spreading from his fingers to his wrists.

He started to shiver. It was cold…but he _never_ felt cold, except on his human nights…

Inuyasha looked down, and saw that the claws had disappeared from the tips of his fingers. He almost jerked his hands back then, but remembered in time.

_Don't move. Don't move…don't move…don't move…don't move…just a little longer…don't move…_

"Done," said Edward, finally, sounding very far away. The blue flames disappeared and Inuyasha blinked, trying to focus eyes gone blurry.

He tried to lift his hands from the circle, and almost fell backwards. _Damn it! I can't be this weak already…how am I going to keep the well open for Kagome…?_

Across the circle from him, Edward looked as drained as Inuyasha felt.

"That was harder than I expected," he said, panting a little, as if he'd been running. "The well wants to go to Kagome's time. Diverting it to 1925 isn't…easy." The last was said almost apologetically.

"Keh." Inuyasha shrugged, wondering if he had the strength to climb out of the well, or if he should just stay here and rest until it was time to summon Kagome. "Think you'll be able to bring them back here?"

Edward's golden eyes gleamed in the pale beam of light coming down from the well's opening, high above. "No problem, if _you_ can hold out long enough," he said, returning the challenge.

"I'll do whatever it takes," Inuyasha vowed.

Edward nodded in acknowledgement. "I'll let you know when we're ready to try it again. In the meanwhile, maybe you'd better eat something. And lay down." His concern was more galling than his combativeness.

"I'm fine," Inuyasha lied, gritting his teeth against his stomach's desire to rid itself of breakfast. His fingertips dug into the stones lining the walls of the well, reminding him that his claws were gone.

He sneaked a glance at the hair hanging over his shoulder, and was relieved to find it was still silver. He twitched an ear experimentally. Still there, on top of his head, where they belonged. _Good._

With any luck, he could hide the extent of his weakness from his friends, and continue with the sorcery circle when the time came.


	15. Breakthrough

12

_Tokyo, May, 1925_

One week.

It had only been a week since Brother disappeared down the well, whisked away to God-knows-where…or when.

But to Alphonse, it felt like much longer. The well had gone dead after that, the mysterious pulse entirely vanished.

As each day passed, and Alphonse found himself no closer to discovering the secret to reactivating the well, the tension in the Higurashi household had grown until the air was thick with unvoiced expectations that hung like smoke in the cluttered rooms.

Temporarily freed of obligations to give lectures and teach classes at the university, Professor Higurashi had retreated to his study, where he spent long hours consulting his extensive library of English and German scientific publications and papers, and scribbling neat columns of Japanese characters on vertically-ruled paper, interspersed with equations.

It was obvious that the Professor was avoiding dealing with his troublesome houseguests, thought Alphonse in a fit of irritation as he stared at the alchemical symbols he had sketched on a piece of paper.

And it was really too bad the Professor's library didn't include any alchemy texts.

Sautter's treatise on manipulating earth elements would have been particularly useful in his efforts to revise the transmutation circle originally created by the Thule Society. Instead, Al was forced to rely on his memory (luckily, he had a good memory) of some of the more obscure materials he had studied in preparation for the State Alchemist's exam.

As threatened, Ikeda came every morning to question Alphonse about his progress in reawakening the well.

And without fail, every afternoon, Alphonse was dutifully marched out to the well-house, where he spent futile hours on his knees at the bottom of the well, tracing and re-tracing his revisions to the transmutation circle.

Kagome, who always busied herself with cooking or cleaning during Ikeda's visits, trying to stay out of the policeman's sight, would watch Al leave the house with a yearning, hopeful look that he felt tingling between his shoulderblades.

He wanted to live up the mute expectation in that gaze, wanted to make her smile.

Wanted to offer her the hope of reuniting with her friends and family.

But not matter what he tried, each attempt at starting a transmutation flickered out, and the well remained stubbornly inactive. The earth at its bottom turned pale gray with chalk dust, and Al's throat grew dry and choked with it. He began to taste chalk with every meal.

It was the taste of failure.

And with every failure, Ikeda's expression grew more and more sour, and Professor Higurashi's grew proportionally more anxious. Kagome lost a little more of her cheerfulness, becoming sadder, and more silent.

That was the worst part—disappointing her.

In the evenings, they would all sit together in the living room and drink tea, making strained conversation. Even the boys were not as exuberant as they had been upon their older brother's return.

Ikeda's relentless scrutiny was wearing on all of them. As were the days that passed without sign of Ed's return, or any sign that the well had ever opened a portal to the past, as Kagome insisted it could. Ed's disappearance weighed heavily on Alphonse's mood, as did the policemen stationed at the doors of the well-house.

And Alphonse was facing one additional difficulty: he couldn't stop thinking about Kagome.

By the morning of the seventh day, he found himself envying his brother's single-mindedness. Alphonse had always secretly felt that he was better-able to enjoy life with his balanced approach to work and leisure, whereas Brother seemed happiest when he was obsessed with a problem to solve.

But now, with Ikeda expected at any moment, and his thunderous disappointment at yesterday's failure still hanging in the air, Al wished he had some of Ed's focus.

Especially when his attempts to recall one of Sautter's more complicated equations kept getting sidetracked by a vivid daydream where Kagome came into the room to serve him tea, and ended up sitting on his lap, those long, daringly-exposed legs of hers pressing against the outside of his thighs. He could almost feel the soft pressure of her lips against his own, and the soft resilience of her breasts, pressing against his chest…

As if summoned, Kagome entered the living room, bearing a tea-tray, and Al jumped guilty. He scooted closer to the edge of the low table, praying it would hide his lap.

He had read all about hormones and their effect on the human body while he was still imprisoned in the armor, but the reality was somewhat...different than he had expected. And a hell of a lot more embarrassing, even worse than his voice breaking at the most inopportune moments.

On Professor Higurashi's advice, Kagome had stopped wearing the scandalously short shirt and sailor blouse that she insisted was her school uniform. Instead, she alternated between a soberly-colored kimono that had belonged to Professor Higurashi's wife, and the red-and-white bell-sleeved, flowing-trousered costume of a Shinto shrine maiden.

She had obviously just completed her duties at the shrine, and was clad in the red-and-white outfit, her abundant hair tied back with a white ribbon.

"Al-kun!" she said, with obviously forced cheerfulness. "Have you had breakfast yet? I've brought you some tea. How—how is it going?"

He held his breath as she leaned over his shoulder, acutely aware that—oh, God, her breast was actually _touching_ his shoulder!—and studied the drawings spread out in front of him.

After a moment of fighting for control, he dared to turn his head, and looked at her profile, so tantalizingly close to his face.

"I—" He swallowed, hard. "I'm sorry, Kagome-san. These _should_ work. I don't know why they're don't—"

He bowed his head, feeling every bit as helpless and as frustrated as he had a year ago, with blood pouring from his hand and a clock he couldn't repair on the table in front of him.

Her next words made him forget him his despair, and even the deliciously uncomfortable feeling that her proximity induced in his chest—and in parts further down.

"It's probably because you don't have a jewel shard. That's how I've been traveling to the past."

"A jewel shard?" Al repeated. "What's that?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this before," she replied, her large brown eyes serious.

She knelt at his side, hooked one finger under a silver chain hanging around her neck, and fished up a tiny glass bottle that hung like a pendant under the blouse-like layers of her shrine-maiden's clothing.

Two tiny, glowing splinters of rose-colored crystal rested on the bottom of the vial.

Al reached out a cautious finger, and felt a sensation like an electric shock as his fingertip touched the vial. Startled, he jerked his hand back as a ripple of gooseflesh moved up his arm.

"You can feel it, too?" Kagome asked, excitedly.

Al nodded, and reached for the vial again. This time, he didn't pull away at the sensation, though the skin of his hand began to prickle, and the fine golden hairs on his forearm stood straight up, as if pulled by static electricity.

Power radiated from those tiny splinters. A different kind of power than the one he had used back home to channel transmutations, but power nonetheless.

"Can I try something?" he asked, his mind racing with sudden possibilities.

She nodded, and he flipped over the sheet of paper he had been using, and sketched a simple transmutation circle on the back.

He looked around for something suitable--and disposable--to use for his experiment, and swiftly snatched a handful of rice crackers from Kagome's tray.

Placing these in the center of the circle, he looked at Kagome, who was paying rapt attention to his preparations.

"If you'll just lean a little closer," he said, without thinking, and felt his cheeks grow hot as her shoulder pressed against his upper arm. "Uh, that is--I meant to say, 'closer to the paper,' Kagome-san. Try to get the crystals as close to the circle as you can."

"Ah, excuse me, then, Al-kun." She smiled up at him, her big brown eyes sparkling with good humor, and his heart began hammering in his chest.

She caught the dangling vial between her fingertips, and uncorked it. Carefully tipping the vial over the paper, she tapped the bottom gently, teasing out one of the shards. It landed on the outer circle of the transmutation circle.

"Perfect," breathed Al, momentarily forgetting his embarrassment.

He closed his eyes, picturing what he wanted to do--_understanding, decomposition, reconstruction--_and pressed his fingertips against the array, seeking the energy he had felt earlier.

The transmutation sprang to life under his hands with a rose-colored blaze that made every inch of his skin prickle fiercely.

"Wow," said Kagome, as he reluctantly released the energy--oh, how he had missed being able to do this!--and opened his eyes.

A tiny--and fully edible--toy horse stood where there had previously been a pile of rice crackers.

Al grinned at her, feeling more hopeful than he had in days. "Well, I guess that proves that your crystals are indeed the key to all of this."

She nodded. "I think," she said, her brow furrowed a little. "That whatever happened to your brother--and to me-- was because Inuyasha and I happened to be traveling through the well at the same time that you were trying to open it."

"I think you're probably right." Al sprang to his feet, nearly upsetting the tea-tray in the process, eager to try out this new possibility. After a week of frustration and setbacks, he felt invigorated "Which means, we need you in the well to activate it. Now, we just have to find a way to get past the guards..."

Kagome paused from where she was carefully transferring the shard from the paper back into her vial. "I don't know," she said. "I don't want to get Uncle Souta and my other uncles in trouble…what if that horrible Ikeda-san finds out?"

Al blinked at her. She was missing the point, wasn't she? His every nerve screamed to act _now,_ and not delay his reunion with Brother a moment longer. But he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Ikeda," he said, as patiently as he could, "_wants_ me to reopen the well. He wants that dragon."

"I-I know. And I want to see Inuyasha…and my other friends again. But…" her voice trailed off, and she bit her lip. Al saw that her fingers were clutching the tiny vial of jewel shards.

He tried to suppress the pang of jealousy at the way she said _Inuyasha._ She had told Al that he was a friend.

_Only a friend,_ Al told himself. Only, seeing the expression on her face, he wasn't sure if he believed it.

"Why don't we tell Professor Higurarshi our news, and see what he thinks, okay?" Al suggested.

Of course, the Professor would be overjoyed at his news, especially given how antsy Ikeda had been getting over Al's continued failure to reactivate the Gate—or whatever it was—at the bottom of the well.


	16. Obstacles

07

_Tokyo, May, 1925_

"Absolutely not!" Great-uncle Souta's voice sounded flat and muffled, as if the book-lined walls of his tiny study were trying to absorb his words.

Kagome felt each syllable strike her like a blow to the chest. "But, uncle—"

He shook his head. "It's too…dangerous, Kagome-chan. I'm sorry. But Ikeda-san has forbidden you to go anywhere near the well."

"But he wants his dragon, doesn't he?" Kagome protested. "And if I can open the well…"

Souta removed his eyeglasses, and closed his eyes with a weary-sounding sigh. He rubbed at the red mark that the glasses had left over the bridge of his nose. "Ikeda told me he'd arrest you if his men caught you anywhere near the well."

Kagome made a small sound of alarm despite herself, and Souta's eyes opened. His face was shadowed by fatigue, as if he had spent several sleepless nights. "He wanted to arrest you, anyway, but I managed to convince him that you were an innocent victim of Alphonse-kun's experiment. Don't give him any excuses to take you away."

"But, my family... Inuyasha—" Kagome said again, her hands clenching.

He couldn't do this to her. He _couldn't!_ She had to convince him, somehow.

She felt Al-kun take her hand. His warm fingers wrapped around her icy ones, and he squeezed gently, reassuringly.

She glanced sideways at him, and saw that Al's usually-cheerful countenance was marred by a scowl.

"…nothing at all like the Colonel…" he muttered under his breath.

"Eh--?" she began to ask, but Great-uncle Souta spoke again.

"Kagome-chan, I am your closest relative in this time and place, is that correct?"

Puzzled by the abrupt change in subject, she nodded.

"Good," he said. His black gaze dropped from hers, and he reached for his glasses. "Then, as head of this family, I forbid you to do anything that might endanger yourself—or my brothers."

Still not meeting her gaze, he began polishing the lenses with his handkerchief. Kagome felt as if he had just punched her in the stomach.

Nausea roiled through her middle, and she suddenly couldn't breathe.

"Wha—no!" Kagome said, when she had recovered breath enough to speak. "No, you _can't!_ I have to get home!"

Alphonse stepped forward, pulling Kagome with him, and slammed his free hand down on Souta's desk.

The pile of books stacked there jumped, and so did Great-uncle Souta.

"You're so fearful," Al said, his tone thick with loathing. "Can't you even see that Ikeda's making empty threats?"

Souta very carefully put his glasses back down on the desk's blotter, as if they were made from the most fragile crystal, and might shatter at any instant.

"No, Al-kun, I don't see that at all," he replied, softly. "What I see is a man, a powerful man, backed by the resources of the secret police, who has given me explicit orders and threatened my family if I don't obey."

His expression was apologetic as he finally met Kagome's eyes, but he didn't waver.

"Look," said Al, straightening up. "Ikeda's priority is recovering the dragon, right? He's made that pretty clear. As long as he thinks that it's my—our-- priority, too, everything will be okay. The rest of what he says is just bluster. He's trying to bully us."

"You may be correct," Souta said, slowly. "But what if you are not? I refuse to gamble with the safety of my brothers."

Al's scowl deepened in the face of Souta's reluctance. Without releasing Kagome's hand, he leaned forward, using his height to loom over Souta.

"And what about _us,_ Professor Higurashi? What about the two people—Brother and Kagome-san--who are stranded because of your attempts to give Ikeda what he wants?"

Souta's mouth thinned, but he didn't reply, just looked back down at his spectacles.

Al sighed. "Maybe Ikeda has the power to arrest and threaten, but we have power, too. We have something that Ikeda badly wants, but by rolling over and showing your belly, you're just giving Ikeda the upper hand."

"Al-kun. Kagome-chan," Souta said, in a pleading tone. "Please don't do this."

Kagome shook her head, and gripped Al's hand tightly. The panic hadn't quite gone away, and it was hard to draw enough breath to speak. "We _have_ to, Uncle Souta."

"We don't want to make trouble for you and your brothers, Professor," added Al, "but I'm not going to abandon my brother. He's out there somewhere, maybe even in the Warring States period, without so much as a sleeping bag or flask of water, since none of the knapsacks made it through."

"I'm not suggesting that you abandon anyone, Al-kun," Souta said, spreading his hands. "Just to wait a little longer, until I can--"

Despite his words, Kagome realized that Great-uncle Souta was never going to agree.

The nausea that had been knotting her stomach since Souta's first refusal rose with renewed strength. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she pulled her hand out of Al's, and ran out of the room.

Somewhere behind her, she could hear Al's voice rising in a shout, but she just kept running until she burst through the front door. Grabbing her loafers, she slipped them on, scarcely missing a step, and continued on through the sad little garden, with its knee-high weeds and struggling vegetable garden, and into the shrine complex.

Without being directed by conscious thought, she found herself standing in front of Goshinboku, shaking with anger and the beginnings of panic.

The ancient tree, at least, had not changed. It stood, tall and strong, just as it had in all the time periods that she moved through.

Inuyasha had been pinned to this tree. Her mother had received a marriage proposal under this tree. Kagome had never known a time when it wasn't a landmark in her life.

More than anything else, Goshinboku meant _home_ to her, no matter what era she found herself in. She looked at it, trying to calm herself, and concentrated on simply breathing for a few minutes.

_What am I going to do now?_ she thought, and then with more determination: _Well, I'm not going to cry. I'm not._

And she wasn't. Tears usually came from a hot place inside her--burning grief or smoldering rage. There wasn't any warmth inside of her now. She was cold. _So cold…_

Kagome shivered despite the warm spring sunshine, tucking her hands into the wide sleeves of her miko clothing, and stared, unseeing, at Goshinboku's smooth trunk.

Up until now, she had been treating her unexpected visit here as just an odd little side-trip, confident that she would soon find a way to continue her journey to the Sengoku-jidai, or return home to 1997.

But now... what if she couldn't get back to Inuyasha? Was she going to be stranded here...? Forced to watch her every word, her every step? Bad enough that she caught sight of herself in reflections a dozen times a day, and thought she saw Kikyo staring back her each time.

_No. No, I'll find a way. I have a jewel shard. There _has_ to be a way!_

"Kagome-san?" It was Al. "Are you all right?"

She opened her mouth to reassure him that of course, she was perfectly all right, she just needed some fresh air.

What emerged was, "Al-kun, I want to go home!"

Home to Inuyasha and the others in the Sengoku-jidai, or home to Mama, and little brother Souta, and Jii-chan in the 20th century, it didn't matter at this point.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'll find a way, Kagome-san...Kagome-_chan._ I swear it."

His hazel eyes were utterly serious.

Despite her turmoil of emotion, she managed to summon up a smile for him. "We'll do it together. I have faith in you."

Al's answering smile was sweet and radiant. He was so kind, and very good-looking in an exotic way--she wondered what Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku would think of him--

And then he enfolded her in his arms, and to her utter shock, bent his head, and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

oo0oo

Astonished at his own daring, Alphonse temporarily forgot his worries about Brother, his anger at Ikeda-san and Professor Higurashi, and even his relief and joy at being able to use alchemy again.

His world narrowed down to pure sensation--the warmth of Kagome's mouth against his, the faintly smoky scent of the shrine's incense clinging to her hair, the smooth slide of her traditional _miko_ garments against his forearms. He felt the soft curves of her breasts pressing against his stomach, and the soft puff of her breath against his lips, and wanted the moment to continue on forever.

He was kissing her! He was finally kissing a girl…more importantly, he was kissing Kagome!

His wonderful, beautiful, amazing Kagome.

Finally, he understood why there were so many songs, stories, poems about this. It was dizzying, fantastic, and very real.

He tightened his arms around her shoulders, pressing her against him. He only wanted to keep kissing her.

He felt, rather than heard, her gasp. Her arms moved, but instead of circling his waist as he expected--hoped--she pushed him away.

Very strongly, as a matter of fact.

Startled, he stepped back, and looked down at her, still feeling dazed. Still feeling the soft imprint of her mouth against his lips.

Her eyes were wide, but he couldn't' read the emotions there. Slowly, her hand drifted up to wipe her mouth, and the gesture struck him like a punch in his gut.

He opened his mouth. "I--ah--"

He had no idea what he wanted to say. He wanted to kiss her again.

"I wish you hadn't done that, Heiderich-san," she began, frowning

Al's heart sank as he heard himself demoted from "Al-kun" to "Heiderich-san."

"I'm sorry!" he said, hastily, though he wasn't--well, not sorry for kissing her, anyway.

But he _was_ sorry that she obviously hadn't liked it as much as he had.

"That was my first kiss!" The back of her hand returned to her mouth, rubbing harder this time.

_Mine, too!_ Al wanted to say, but he kept silent. He felt hot, and knew his whole face had turned red. How could he have misjudged the situation this badly?

Kagome's cheeks were flushed, too, and her eyes flashed with temper. "It was supposed to be _special--_I wantedInuyasha to_--"_ She turned away from him, shoulders hunched, hands balled into fists. "Oh, never mind."

_It wasn't special to her?_ Al winced as her words tore at him like claws, followed immediately by the acid lash of jealousy. _Inuyasha? She wanted him to kiss her?_

From her previous references to Inuyasha, Al had assumed--wrongly, it seemed--that they were just friends.

"Sorry," he said, again, knowing his words were completely inadequate, but compelled to defend his motives, anyway. "But I-I really like you, Kagome-ch...san," he corrected himself. "And I didn't want to offend--"

oo0oo

Al's stumbling apology was interrupted by a deep pulse of energy that moved through the ground.

Kagome, her lips still tingling from the unexpected kiss, instinctively looked towards the well-house.

It was glowing with the same eerie blue light that Al-kun...Heiderich-san...had produced when he had transmuted the rice crackers.

"Brother!" Al exclaimed, and sprinted for the shrine.

Kagome didn't hesitate. Cursing the flimsy _zori_ sandals she was wearing as part of her miko uniform, she ran after him as best she could.

As they drew closer to the small building, Kagome saw that the policeman who was guarding the entrance to the well-house looked frozen with fear, indecision, or both.

"What's happening? What is that?" he shouted, taking several, stumbling steps back from the glowing building.

"Go fetch Professor Higurashi," Al shouted, pointing at the house, and the policeman obeyed without question.

Kagome slowed. The well-house was unguarded. _Should I...? But what if Ikeda-san finds out...?_

Al was apparently thinking the same thing.

"Come on!" He grabbed Kagome's hand, pulling her forward, and heaved open the sliding door, just as the blue light guttered and faded.

"Brother?" Al's voice echoed in the dim, dusty interior of the building. "Brother, are you there?"

Kagome followed him closely down the stairs to the rim of the well. "Inuyasha?" she ventured, unable to force her voice above a shaky whisper.

No one replied, and the square opening of the well remained dark and silent.

She and Al peered down into the gloomy depths, and found it empty except for...Kagome squinted, trying to make out what had caught her attention.

"Nothing," Al muttered, after an anxious moment. "Brother, what were you trying to do?"

He pushed away from the rim, scowling a little.

Kagome caught at his sleeve. "But what about that?"

She pointed down, at the object that lay at the bottom of the well, pale against the dirt and shadows.

He stared for a long moment. "You're right--there's something there." He swung a leg over the edge, feeling with the tip of his shoe for the first rung of the rope ladder that hung there. "Wait here--I'm afraid you might slip and fall if you try to climb down in those sandals."

Kagome nodded, and watched him climb down. When he reached the bottom, he bent and picked up the paper.

"It's written in Japanese, and it's addressed to you!" he said, and she saw his grin even in the darkness.

Her annoyance at his theft of her first kiss faded a little. He _was_ awfully nice, and being a foreigner, maybe he had misinterpreted her friendliness…?

Her hands tightened on the rim of the well as Al climbed back up the rope ladder. Sitting on the rim of the well, he reached into his shirt pocket to retrieve a folded sheet of paper.

Hardly daring to hope, she took the paper from him. "Kagome," it said on the outside, and something loosened in her chest. Unfolding it, she scanned the neatly-calligraphed columns. Her heart caught as she read the text.

"It's from Inuyasha!" she said, and felt the tiniest stab of guilt as she noticed Al's wince.

Her regret at having hurt his feelings evaporated in her eagerness to decipher the old-fashioned kanji.

_Kagome—Where are you? The sorcerer bastard who broke the well thinks you're stuck with his brother. Get your ass back here. Shippou has eaten all the ninja food, and there's only one bowl of ramen left. _

_Someone stole the jewel from Naraku, and we have to find it. If you can, use one of those clock-things. That sorcerer says we'll try to reopen the well again at noon. _There was a large blot on the paper, as if Inuyasha had hesitated, letting ink drip from his brush, and then one final sentence. _I hope this gets to you. I miss you._ _Inuyasha._

Kagome's heart skipped a beat when she read those final words. She read them again.

Al cleared his throat politely. "Er, what did he say? If you don't mind me asking..."

"Oh," Kagome's joy turned sour as she remembered that she had let this boy kiss her just a short time ago. She wasn't exactly angry any more, but what was she going to do once they passed through the well and he met Inuyasha?

She longed to see Inuyasha again with every fiber of her being, but at the same, she was dreading it.

"He says that a sorcerer broke the well, but thinks they can open the well again at noon. Hmm, sorcerer--I guess that means your brother really did make it to Sengoku-jidai," she said.

"Thank goodness," Al said, closing his eyes briefly.

"And there's something written below Inuyasha's note," Kagome added, extending the paper to him. "The letters look like English, but I don't recognize any of the words."

Al took the paper from her, and felt relief flood him as he spotted Ed's familiar handwriting.

"It's from Brother!" he said, after a second, scanning the lines quickly. "He says he's got a good lead on the dragon, they're going to open the well again in two hours, and that we should be ready to go when it does, because he can only do it for a short time." Al looked at his wristwatch. "It's 10 a.m. now, so we need pack up and return before noon."

"And where, _exactly,_ do you think you'll be going, Alphonse-kun?" Ikeda asked crisply.


	17. Dangerous Passage

14

_Tokyo, May, 1925_

"And where, _exactly,_ do you think you'll be going, Alphonse-kun?" Ikeda asked crisply.

Kagome, who had been too absorbed in reading Inuyasha's missive to notice anyone entering the well house, jumped guiltily.

Glancing up, she saw Ikeda scowling down at them from the top of the stairs leading down to the well. "And just what are the two of you doing in here? I thought I had been perfectly clear—"

Great-uncle Souta arrived at that moment, panting a little, as if he'd been running across the shrine grounds.

"Brother sent us a note through the portal," Al said, ignoring Ikeda's second question. He held up the paper. "He's found a way to reopen the well, and he says that he's confirmed the presence of the dragon on the other end. He wants us to come and help capture it."

"Oh, I'm sure he does," Ikeda said, sarcastically, but Kagome thought the policeman looked relieved at the news. "But how do I know that you'll return here, once you've found the dragon?"

Kagome saw Al blink. "Um…"

Ikeda smirked. There was an uncomfortable silence, that stretched out until Souta cleared his throat.

"What if--if I go with them?" Souta asked, quietly, breaking the tense silence. "You know I will return, because you have—that is, because my brothers are here."

"And if _you_ don't come back?" Ikeda's lip curled. "What then, Professor Higurashi?"

"Then you'll know I died in the attempt," Souta answered, looking down at his shoes. "In that case, I beg you not to punish my brothers for my failure."

Ikeda paused, and Kagome could see the wheels turning behind those cold eyes.

"I'll promise no such thing," he said. "But I'll take you up on your offer to watch over Elric-san and Alphonse-kun. So I suggest you not die, Professor. And don't come back without the dragon, either."

Souta exhaled, his mouth drawn into a determined line. "I won't fail."

"Good." Ikeda smiled, his thin lips stretching as if unaccustomed to the expression. "Now, go gather up whatever supplies you'll need, and meet back here at 11:45 a.m."

"We'll pack some extra supplies for you, Kagome-san," Al said eagerly.

She nodded, feeling light and hopeful for the first time in days. The well was still operational! She wouldn't be stuck here forever…

As she turned to go with Al, Ikeda's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Not so fast, Higurashi-san—if that's who you _really_ are," he sneered. _"You're_ not going anywhere."

_He wouldn't!_ "W-what?" she managed to say, tugging against Ikeda's painful grip. "But I _have_ to go! I have to!"

Looking over Ikeda's shoulder, Kagome saw that both Great-uncle Souta and Al had come to a halt. Souta was frowning, looking like he wanted to protest but didn't dare.

Al was wearing the same stubborn expression she had seen this morning.

"She's coming with us," he said flatly.

Ikeda's hold tightened further on her wrist, and she grimaced in pain. He was going to leave bruises.

Al frowned, his glance darting between the two of them. He spoke again, his tone conciliatory this time.

"I mean," he spread his hands in a pleading gesture. "We need her, and would appreciate your assistance in this matter, Ikeda-san."

"You _need_ her? And what do you think she can do for you?" Ikeda sneered, his fingers still digging into Kagome's skin.

_Should I tell him about the shards?_

Al met her gaze, and gave a minute shake of his head. Unfortunately, Ikeda saw him, too.

"Whatever's going here…perhaps questioning this girl in custody will finally give me some answers, eh?" Ikeda asked.

Kagome froze. If she was arrested, she'd be searched. And Ikeda would be sure to confiscate the jewel shards.

She looked to Al again, in mute appeal. He looked like he was thinking furiously, but it didn't seem he had any new arguments to make.

Aid arrived from an unexpected source.

"Ikeda-san, I believe that Alphonse-kun is referring to the research that I've been conducting in the shrine's archives over the past few days," Great-uncle Souta said, politely. "And I've come to think that the key to opening the portal in the well is spiritual power."

"Spiritual power? That's not what I expected to hear from a scientist of your caliber, Professor Higurashi." Ikeda's sneer deepened.

Souta seemed unfazed by Ikeda's skepticism. "Well, it was not my first guess," he murmured, his attitude still scrupulously polite and deferential. "But after eliminated all the other possible factors, I was forced to consider it seriously."

"Oh, really?" Ikeda still seemed unconvinced, but at the same time, he was listening to Souta.

Kagome held her breath, and hoped with all her might.

"Indeed. You will recall it was Kagome's presence in the well that permitted the portal to open the first time."

"I don't see how a mere girl could have affected things," Ikeda countered.

Souta shrugged. "It seems unlikely," he agreed, "But isn't it odd that all of Alphonse-kun's subsequent attempts to activate the well have been failures? We were careful to duplicate all—or _almost_ all-- of the original conditions. The only variable in this equation that I can ascertain is Kagome. When she was here, the portal opened. After she was barred from approaching the well, the portal remained closed."

Ikeda frowned. "Well, if it's spiritual power that opens the well, then your presence should suffice," he said. "After all, you are the head priest here, are you not? And my colleagues tell me that you were able to seal the dragon."

"You do me the honor of overestimating my humble talents," Souta murmured, with a polite half-bow. "I fear that my powers alone are insufficient to open the well without the assistance of my cousin. Her spiritual powers dwarf mine, I assure you."

Ikeda's frown stayed firmly in place. "And why didn't you tell me any of this before, Professor? I thought I had made it clear how I dislike when people withhold information from me."

"I'm very sorry, Ikeda-san."

Kagome blinked. Had Souta really winked at her, just before bowing deeply in apology?

"But I wasn't certain until this morning, when I came across an old account of events in…in the Warring States era, when one of this shrine's miko disappeared in the well, and returned three days later with a powerful artifact thought lost centuries before." Souta straightened up from his bow. "I truly believe that we will need Kagome-san's presence to return here, once we have captured the dragons. I therefore humbly ask your permission for her to accompany us."

"Hn." Ikeda finally loosened his hold on Kagome's wrist, leaving behind a dull ache. "Very well. Let's see if the well really opens at noon, with the girl here. But if I find you've been lying to me…"

"It's not a lie," Kagome said, desperately, resisting the impulse to reach inside her blouse and clutch the vial of shards for reassurance.

oo0oo

Ikeda reluctantly issued Kagome an empty military knapsack, and had one of the policemen escort her to the storeroom where they had stashed the supplies for the Elric brothers' abortive expedition to the past.

She didn't really think she needed anything, especially, since her own backpack had gone with Inuyasha, but it would look suspicious if she didn't pack supplies appropriate for a camping trip.

She sighed, looking around at the assortment of unappetizing military rations stacked on the floor: tins of rice mixed with barley, canned fish, canned vegetables, pickled vegetables, miso paste, and powdered green tea.

After being spoiled with cup-ramen, potato chips, and other packaged snacks from her own time, Kagome imagined that Shippo—and probably Inuyasha, too—would turn his nose up at this inferior fare.

On the other hand, she had never known Inuyasha to refuse a meal, no matter how humble…and Grandmother Kaede might find the pickled vegetables useful for flavoring meals, and at least the canned tuna would be a change from the usual grilled fish. They could use both of those items as fillings for _onigiri_ while they were traveling in pursuit of the dragon…

Acutely aware of the policeman watching her every move, Kagome quickly gathered what she estimated was about a week's worth of rations. The knapsack, now filled to bulging with tins, and topped with a military bedroll, was almost too heavy to lift.

If only Inuyasha were here, he'd carry it for her, grumbling but still chivalrous in his own rough way.

_Soon…I'll be seeing him soon,_ Kagome thought, struggling to heft it. She managed to get the straps over her shoulders and, staggering a bit, brought it over to the well-house.

Alphonse and Souta's packs were already sitting next to the well, and Kagome dropped hers next to theirs with a heavy thump.

And then, there was nothing to do but wait for the hour or so that remained until noon.

oo0oo

Promptly at noon, with all of them arrayed anxiously around the rim of the well, it began to glow an unearthly blue.

"I knew you could do it, Brother!" said Al, mostly to himself, ashamed to admit that he had been just a little doubtful, after all of his own failures in trying to reactivate the array.

He had barely managed to swing over the side when the blue glow began to gutter and fade.

Al shouted, "No! Brother, wait—I'm coming!" and began scrambling down the rope ladder.

After the first couple of steps, his feet abandoned the rungs entirely and he simply slid down the rest of the way, ignoring the painful rope-burns to the palms of his hands.

"BROTHER!"

oo0oo

_The Bone-Eater's Well, 16th-century Japan_

The blue light from the transmutation circle was lapping away at Inuyasha, burning like youkai venom. He felt like his skin was dissolving, leaving only painfully-exposed muscle and bone.

He swayed unsteadily, trying to keep his palms planted on the lines as Edward had directed him, but black spots were drifting across his vision.It was taking all of his strength just to keep balanced on his hands and knees.

He had lost feeling his arms in his arms soon after Edward activated the circle, and the fiery coldness was sending now tendrils through his chest.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" He could barely hear Ed's question over the roar and rush in his ears. "Can you keep the gate open long enough for Al and Kagome to pass through?"

_Yes! _Inuyasha wanted to snarl, but couldn't spare the strength for words.

His hair hung in limp, sweat-soaked strands in his eyes, and despite the blurriness of his vision, he saw that it had turned the color of crow's feathers.

_This is bad._

The well was spinning around him now in slow, dizzying revolutions, and there was a great whooshing, like a strong wind, in his ears.

_Kagome! Where are you, Kagome? _

He was giving the hungry blue light everything he had.

But it wasn't enough.

It wasn't enough, and he had nothing left to give.

His heart faltered in his chest, squeezing breath as if he had been punched by an ogre, and his numb elbows collapsed beneath him.

"Inuyasha!" Edward's shout sounded very far away.

_Kagome, I'm sorry._

_oo0oo_

Kagome and Souta followed Alphonse as quickly as they could, but it was too late. By the time Kagome reached the bottom of the well, the glow had died away entirely.

"NO!" Al shouted. "Brother, damn it, try again! We're _here!_ We're here now!"

Several heartbeats passed, but the elaborate pattern traced into the hard-packed dirt remained lifeless chalk. Al slammed his fist against the rough stones of the well-shaft. "Damn it!"

"Al-kun," whispered Kagome, his anguished expression driving away the last of her lingering annoyance with him.

"Well, what's the problem now?" Ikeda called down. "I thought the girl knew how to open the well!"

"Just a moment!" Kagome answered, a little desperately.

She bent over the pattern, careful to avoid disrupting the fragile lines and arcs of white powder, and felt the jewel shards pulse.

"Al-kun!" she said again, this time urgently. "Can you reactivate the transmutation circle?" she asked, stumbling a little over the unfamiliar terms. "I have the jewel shards."

He blinked at her, startled out of his frustration. She reached down her neckline, and brought up the vial.

She could see him thinking, hard, and then his expression relaxed into a smile. He nodded. "Can you direct the energy of the shards?"

"I think so," she said. They were growing somehow warmer, and the pulse of energy was strengthening, pulling an answering heartbeat from the ground beneath her feet. "What should I do?"

"Put your hands here—" he pointed at a place on the outer circle marked with a Zodiac symbol, "—and here. When I start the transmutation, I want you to push the energy into the pattern, for as long as you can. If you can do that, I can direct it, and open a gate to where Brother and your friends are."

"How can I help?" Great-uncle Souta asked. He was standing pressed against the side of the well.

Al spared him a quick glance. "Just follow us if we manage to open the gate."

Great-uncle Souta nodded tensely.

Al turned his attention back to Kagome, who was crouching, her hands on the place he had directed. "All right…ready, steady…GO!"

Kagome drew a deep breath, and _pushed_, the same way she _pushed_ when she fired purifying arrows. The vial of shards hanging between her breasts grew hot, and she felt power pouring down her arms in a great rush. It felt like the first time she had used her power, to fend off Mistress Centipede.

Beneath her palms, the chalked lines and symbols began to glow, faintly at first, but strengthening with rose-colored light, until the floor of the well was ablaze.

For a long moment, nothing further happened. Then Kagome felt the familiar, welcome weightlessness of the time-slip opening, and an indescribable feeling of relief buoyed her.

"It's working!" she told the others.

And then they were falling through the time-slip, sprinkled with stars and writhing curtains of energy. Kagome looked around for her companions. Al hung in space below her and to the right, and he was peering around with a keenly-interested expression. Above her, Souta was doing the same, though his hands were gripping the straps of his backpack with white-knuckled intensity.

The ground resolidified beneath Kagome's feet, and she took an involuntary step forward, staggering a little under the weight of her knapsack.

She looked up, first, and saw a square of blue sky, framed by vines. _Made it!_

"Brother!" she heard Al exclaim behind her, as the heavy sacks of supplies dropped to the floor of the well with a clunk. "I'm so glad to see you again, but what have you _done?"_

"I don't _think_ he's dead," answered a husky voice that spoke Japanese with the same odd accent as Alphonse. "He's a tough bastard."

Kagome whirled around in the narrow space, and found herself nose-to-nose with a stranger.

The first thing she noticed were his eyes, which were as golden as Inuyasha's, but without the slitted pupils of a youkai. The second thing she noticed was that he wasn't much taller than she was. His hair was a brighter shade of gold than Al's, and long enough to be pulled into a ponytail.

"You must be Edward-san," Kagome began.

Then she caught sight of a familiar red garment on the ground behind Edward, and she forgot the rest of what she wanted to say.

It was Inuyasha, sprawled unmoving in a tangle of long black hair and red sleeves.

_Black hair…?_ But it was broad daylight and at least a week before the night of the new moon!

All courtesy forgotten, she pushed past Al-kun's brother, and fell to her knees next to Inuyasha's horribly still form.

He was definitely in human form, his puppy ears gone, and his face sickly-pale and sweaty under the tan.

_Oh, no!_ She collapsed to her knees next to him, and pulled his head into her lap, feeling under his jaw for a pulse.

His skin, normally warm even on the coldest days, was clammy and cool. And he was completely limp as she maneuvered his head into her lap, and probed carefully along the length of his exposed throat. At first, her hands trembling, she couldn't feel anything.

_Ah, gods, is he dead?_

Then she felt it. A faint throb under her fingertips…a pulse.

_Not dead! Not dead, thank goodness._

She took a shaky breath, feeling tears of relief stinging her eyes, and brushed the long strands of soft black hair out of his face, letting her hand linger on his cold cheek. He had long dark lashes, and looked very young without his customary scowl.

Inuyasha's eyelids fluttered at the caress. "K-Kagome?" His voice was the merest breath of a whisper.

"I'm here," she said. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I missed you. But I'm here now."

"You came back." He turned his head slowly, to where her hand still rested on his face. She felt the light press of his lips and a puff of breath against her palm, and then, before she could quite register that he had kissed her hand, he relaxed back into unconsciousness,

Kagome curled her hand around the lingering imprint of his mouth, and held it over her heart. Her other hand resting protectively on Inuyasha's shoulder, she glared up at Edward. "What happened to him? Why is he…like this?"

Edward's mouth tightened, and he jammed his hands in his trouser pockets, looking uncomfortable. "Um, well, we had to open the well somehow," he began in a defensive tone. "So, Inuyasha agreed to power the transmutation—"

"Brother! You _didn't!_ " Al said in a shocked voice, coming to stand next to Edward. " A living being to power a transmutation…? Of _all_ the irresponsible things you've ever done…!"

"It was the only way! Believe me, I tried everything else," Edward protested. "He agreed, even though I told him it was dangerous." Then his defiance faded, and regret clouded the golden eyes. "I'm sorry…Kagome, was it? He talked about you a lot. Said he was willing to do anything to get you back."

Kagome told herself, quite sternly, that she wasn't going to cry. Instead, she stroked Inuyasha's face, his hair.

"I—I would have done the same for him," she said.

She wasn't ready to forgive Al's brother quite yet, not until she was sure that Inuyasha would be okay, but she did understand.

She looked up, and saw Al watching her and Inuyasha, a devastated look on his face. But now was not the time to feel bad. She had a more pressing problem at hand.

She looked around the crowded confines of the well, and saw that Great-uncle Souta had made it through safely, as well. He stood pressed against the wall of the well's reservoir, gazing upwards at the vines and open sky. He was gaping a little.

Okay, so there were three young men, plus herself. It could be done.

"We have to get Inuyasha out of this well," she told them. "Hurry!"


	18. Let Sleeping Hanyou Lie

07

_Musashi's Domain, 16th-century Japan_

It was kind of sweet, thought Kagome, as she flipped half-heartedly through her English textbook, that a semi-conscious, human Inuyasha was an affectionate, even cuddly Inuyasha.

Sweet but also more than a little freaky.

It had been two days since she, Alphonse, and Great-uncle Souta had arrived here. Inuyasha had not regained consciousness during all that time.

He lay sleeping on a futon in Kaede's cottage, his long black hair spilling over the edge of the mattress and onto the clean-swept floorboards.

Inuyasha had been as pale as a day-old corpse when Kagome first saw him, sprawling unconscious at the bottom of the well.

He hadn't stirred as Alphonse and his brother tied ropes around him, or when he was lifted out of the well, occasionally bumping against the sides despite the best efforts of the two brothers, Uncle Souta, and Miroku.

She frowned, abandoning her efforts to memorize an English dialogue that involved two people meeting at a party, and examined Inuyasha's sleeping face.

His cheeks were slightly flushed. Fever? Or just a sign of his returning health?

Two days, and Inuyasha's hair was still black, his ears still human, and his fingers still tipped with nails rather than his customary claws.

Edward's experiment had well and truly drained Inuyasha's youki, it seemed, and a good portion of his life-force into the bargain.

And so, Inuyasha slept endlessly, as Kagome kept vigil over him and the rest of their group, including its newest members, stayed discreetly out of the way.

All of them looked in on Inuyasha from time to time, of course, and as the first day passed without Inuyasha regaining either consciousness or his hanyou features, the concerned looks deepened.

Kaede set up a second futon next to Inuyasha's, and Kagome stayed awake for a long time that first night, acutely aware of Inuyasha's gentle breathing, and the way he rolled closer to her, so that the lengths of their bodies touched through the layers of quilt, sleeping robe, and pajamas.

Finally, convinced that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon, she slipped her hand into his. Soon after that, she fell asleep.

She awoke with moonlight streaming through the cottage's single window, Inuyasha's head pillowed on her shoulder, and his breath warm and ticklish against her neck.

He was also drooling on her pajama top, which was somehow less romantic.

When she tried to wriggle discreetly away, mostly because her arm had fallen asleep under his weight, he mumbled her name, and threw an arm around her waist.

Kagome froze, but found herself smiling.

She knew that she should be worried that Inuyasha was showing his feelings for her so openly. He was only ever this affectionate and agreeable when he lay at death's door…like that time when the Spider-head demons had attacked him on the night of the new moon…

No, he wasn't dying. He couldn't be!

In face, he _was_ looking better, even if he remained stubbornly asleep.

She reached down to smooth away a long, tangled lock of hair stuck to his mouth, and he smiled again, just a brief curve of his lips.

She gave in to her feelings, and brushed her lips against his brow, then his cheek. She hesitated, hovering over his mouth—_should I?_—and decided that she wanted to save their first kiss for when they were both awake.

"Wake up soon, Inuyasha," she whispered, drawing back, a bit regretfully.

ooOoo

By the second day, Sango, in particular, was looking very worried, though her words to Kagome remained resolutely encouraging. But Sango knew a lot about youkai—as a youkai-exterminator, she had studied them thoroughly—and if _she_ was concerned…Kagome didn't want to think about it.

Without waking up, Inuyasha seemed to sense whenever she left his side, and would grow restless. Sometimes he murmured in his sleep, and thrashed around, as if he were having bad dreams, and Kagome would kneel beside him, rubbing his back, or scratching her fingers gently through his scalp, which seemed to soothe him.

She had to leave his side occasionally, of course, to brush her teeth and use the latrine, or just to stretch her legs and get some fresh air.

Even if she had wanted to stay non-stop, Miroku chased her out at intervals when he appeared with bowls of broth and the oddly-shaped clay jar that was the medieval equivalent of a bedpan.

He had reminded her the first day that his Buddhist monk training had included the nursing of the ill and injured, and indeed, he was both gentle and ruthlessly efficient in handling Inuyasha.

Kagome had accepted the monk's offer of aid with cowardly relief. Even with her first aid training, she wasn't sure she could have handled stripping Inuyasha of his clothing, much less performing those tasks that required lifting and turning him.

As for helping Inuyasha relieve himself…yes, Kagome was very, _very_ grateful for Miroku's presence.

"Kagome, how is he?" Shippou asked anxiously, as she emerged from the cottage, blinking and blinded in the late-afternoon sunlight.

"He's getting better, Shippou-chan," Kagome told him, hoping it was true. "I'm sure he'll wake up soon."

Kick. Block. Punch. Retreat. Attack.

The afternoon sunlight shone off two golden heads, one with a long ponytail that whipped around as its owner ducked and wove under his opponent's jabs and kicks.

Miroku had long since given up any pretense of meditating, and was watching Edward and Alphonse practice their hand-to-hand combat skills. Both of them moved with the grace and confidence of two dancers who had been partnered a long time.

Both were shirtless, and both Miroku and Sango studied Edward's metal right arm and shoulder with unabashed fascination, noticing just how the armor was bolted to flesh and bone--and how much had _that_ hurt? wondered Miroku, no stranger to injury himself.

As she had for the past two days, Kagome was maintaining her vigil inside the cottage, eschewing the fresh air and sunshine to stay at the side of her slumbering hanyou.

Kagome was quite admirable, really, thought Miroku, while noting how easily Edward--even with his artificial leg--managed to leap high enough to avoid one of his brother's scything kicks. One could only hope that Inuyasha, stubborn and blindly proud, might one day let the girl know that he returned her feelings…a fact that had become obvious over the past year to everyone _but_ Kagome, poor girl.

Miroku glanced over to where Sango was kneeling on a mat

At the sight of her lithe form, the cursed void in his hand gave a warning tingle, reminding him that his time was running short.

His gauntlet, wound about with prayer beads, concealed the creeping damage from having sucked in Naraku's poisons once too often, but out of sight of his friends, Miroku often unfastened the gauntlet, tracking the dark-streaked path of the degeneration with horrified fascination.

Once the poison reached his heart, he'd be done for—if the Kazaana in his hand didn't split and devour him in his own wind-void first.

He might never get the opportunity to marry his beloved youkai-exterminator, might never have the chance to see whether their children might inherit her fearlessness and physical prowess.

Might never become intimate enough with her to hear her call him by name…though, to be honest, he'd prefer to hear her _scream_ it, preferably while she was in his arms, and preferably while he was teaching her some of the things that they _didn't_ teach monks, but that he'd had to learn for himself.

His fingers twitched, remembering the feel of her firm, rounded bottom on those occasions when he'd managed to take her by surprise and feel her up a little.

With an effort, he wrenched his attention back to the present. He must make the best of the here and now, and fight with all his strength against the curse that Naraku had placed on his hand and on his life. At least he had friends, allies to help in his struggle...

Miroku noticed that Sango was also watching the two combatants with keen interest. She had earlier been occupied in grinding a youkai-repellent mixture of dried herbs with a mortar and pestle, replenishing her arsenal of powders while they had the opportunity. The mortar and pestle now sat forgotten before her, a collection of tiny cloth bags arrayed neatly in row along the edge of the mat, waiting to be refilled with the repellent.

Sango felt the weight of his glance, and returned it, smiling slightly.

"Houshi-sama, I'm glad that Alphonse is here to distract his brother," she said. "I was becoming a little weary of fending off Edward's apologies."

"Edward seems to have taken on all of the guilt for what happened," Miroku agreed. "Though Inuyasha's own stubbornness is at least partly to blame. He should have admitted he had passed his limits."

Sango gave a wry chuckle at this, and Miroku joined her, both of them all-too-aware that Inuyasha would rather die than admit he couldn't do something.

"And, of course, we all know that Edward didn't _intend_ to hurt Inuyasha," she added.

"Well," Miroku answered, contemplatively, "He didn't mean to break the well, either, but like a typhoon that bears no ill-will, his destructive force is quite considerable."

Sango's lips quirked, but she didn't try to deny it.

Miroku knew she was deeply worried that Inuyasha's superhuman healing abilities had been affected by whatever Edward had done to him. She had told him this morning that there was a strong possibility that he had been purified beyond the point of ever regaining his hanyou appearance...or abilities.

Looking completely human might make Inuyasha's life easier in the long run among youkai-hating humans, Miroku thought, but in the short run, their enemies would have a field day hunting the suddenly-powerless youth.

Even Tetsusaiga was useless without Inuyasha's youki to power it. And from what Sango had told him, the same was true of Inuyasha's fire-rat clothing. It would still protect him, of course, but would not longer be able to self-repair in the absence of his _youki._

_Enough of these gloomy speculations_, Miroku told himself, firmly. As long as Inuyasha was no longer in danger of dying from injuries, everything else would resolve itself in time.

"Speaking of destructive forces," he said, to Sango. "I wonder what will happen when Inuyasha finally wakes up, and realizes that he has a romantic rival?"

"Alphonse?" Aha, so Sango had noticed it, too!

Miroku nodded. "So, you saw his expression when Kagome threw herself at Inuyasha? He looked like someone had just ripped his heart out of his chest."

"Let's hope that Inuyasha doesn't treat Al like he treats Kouga!" Shippou chimed in.

The little kitsune had been practicing his illusions some distance away, using leaves and nuts, but he had keen hearing, especially where gossip about his friends was concerned.

"That's unlikely," Miroku, said gently. "Alphonse is human. You know as well as I do that Inuyasha wouldn't use his powers against someone who wasn't a youkai."

But, still, he wondered exactly what kind of relationship Alphonse had formed with Kagome. Well, there was an easy way to find out.

Ignoring Sango's warning frown, Miroku turned to the practice match's other observer.

Higurashi Souta was sitting quietly, dividing his attention between Edward and Alphonse's martial arts practice, and Shippou's illusions practice. From what Alphonse had said, Kagome's young uncle had been skeptical that they could really travel between eras, nor had he believed that youkai and magic were real.

"Souta-sama," Miroku said, and the other man gave a little start, as if his thoughts had been far away. "I was wondering--did anything happen between Kagome-sama and Alphonse-sama while the well was closed?"

Souta blinked at him. He paused and pursed his lips thoughtfully before replying. "It seemed to me that Kagome-chan and Alphonse-kun became very good friends," he admitted, sounding reluctant. "And, perhaps Al-kun may wish a--a deeper relationship, but I am not certain my niece even noticed."

_Aha! I knew it!_ Miroku thought, but didn't say it.

Sango sighed, still watching the two brothers, who were winding down their match. Alphonse had finally managed to pin his brother, but Edward was still struggling mightily. "She's got such a generous heart. She _wouldn't_ notice, would she?"

"But Inuyasha will," Miroku said, with a certain grim satisfaction. "Though I wonder…Alphonse-sama seems to have a milder nature than his brother, but in matters of the heart, you never can tell."

"Matters of the heart?" Edward asked, having finally surrendered the bout to his brother, and caught the tail end of their conversation.

"We were speaking of your brother and Kagome-sama," Miroku said, smoothly, as the pony-tailed youth bent to retrieve his shirt. "Has he said anything to you?"

"What—me? No!" Ed threw a concerned glance in Alphonse's direction.

Alphonse had walked comfortably out of earshot, his head tipped back in an effort to drain the last few drops of cold tea from a bamboo container.

"My brother and...Kagome?" Ed said, slowly, as if sounding out words in a foreign language.

"Yes, Edward-sama," Sango interjected. "We were just observing that it appears Inuyasha has acquired a romantic rival."

Ed's expression pleaded with Miroku to deny it, but Miroku nodded.

Ed's shoulders slumped in response. "...ah, shit. I'll have a talk with him."

Miroku could have pointed out that sensible talks seldom worked where matters of the heart were concerned, but spared his breath. He didn't think sensible talks would have much effect on Edward, either.

"Okay, anyway," Edward continued, buttoning up his shirt briskly. "I was thinking about how we're gonna track down Envy. Once Inuyasha wakes up, I mean..."

Miroku acknowledged the abrupt change in topic with another nod. "If it's true that he's stolen the Shikon no Tama, then we will have to proceed very cautiously," he began. "We could begin by sending inquiries to some of the monasteries associated with castles that have recently acquired new _daimyo_…"


	19. Awakening

16

_They were leaving him. His friends were leaving him. She was leaving him. _

_It happened in a hundred different ways--sometimes, she died in his arms, with blood bubbling on her lips and soaking the blouse of her school uniform. _

_Sometimes, it was Kouga, that arrogant stinking wolf, who stole Kagome from him. Smiling shyly up at the dashing, pure-blooded youkai who had won her heart, she departed in Kouga's company, never looking back to where Inuyasha stood, bereft and abandoned. _

_And sometimes, she simply left, promising to return in a few days when her schoolwork was done. But she never returned. And he never saw her again. _

The worst dream of all was the one that was simply a memory of what had already happened: _…he leapt into the well, time and time again, only to find his way blocked by the dry dirt and bones at the bottom. Kagome was lost, somewhere on the other side of the now-closed portal. He could feel her, knew she was alive, but where? And, tangled in the net of Edward's magical circle, he couldn't find his way to back to her_...

His dreams were vivid, filled with sight, with sound, with scent.

All of them ended with him alone. Abandoned.

His dreams were vivid enough to feel real.

So, when he awoke with a start in the gray half-light of very early morning, his cheeks wet and sticky with half-dried tears, Inuyasha wasn't certain that this wasn't yet another dream.

For one thing, his sense of smell, his hearing and his eyesight were all muted in a way that he experienced only on the night of the new moon.

And for another thing...Kagome was sleeping _right next to him_, her hip pushing against his, her hair brushing his cheek and nose.

He froze as he noticed her proximity. Maybe this _was_ still a dream. Why else would Kagome...?

It was a dream. It _had_ to be. Kagome in his bed, as if he were a normal man and not a despised hanyou, and she his wife...

His body feeling as heavy and sluggish as a stone statue's, he turned and lifted his hand, skimming fingertips over her cheek. She felt real, her skin warm and soft. She was dressed in the sleeping garments she called 'pajama' and she was deeply asleep.

_Not a dream. Damn,_ he thought, wonderingly.

Then he realized with--was it relief? Or just his sense of propriety?--that she wasn't, in a strict sense, sharing his bed. Kagome had her own futon and quilt.

If anything, he had crept over to her side, and had been clinging to her, like a lost child.

He remembered bits and pieces of his nightmares, of losing her over and over again, of pursuing her retreating form, and pleading with her not to leave him. And here they were now, snuggled together.

Why? Had he been begging for her in his sleep?

Creeping horror and humiliation tightened around his chest like carnivorous youkai vines.

Rolling onto his back with an effort, he took an inventory of his surroundings with his dulled senses. He felt stiff and sore all over, and helpless, but none of his bones felt broken, and he didn't seem to have any other injuries beyond a few bruises.

The last thing he remembered was being in the Bone-eater's Well, the blue light devouring him as he fought to reach Kagome...and then a sense that she was by his side, and that he could sleep now…

How much time had passed since? It had been noon then, and now it was nearly dawn. He had been removed from the well, stripped of his fire-rat robes, and put to bed like a child.

A quick touch to the side of his head, seeking and finding human ears, confirmed that he was human and therefore nose-blind, damn it!

At his side, Kagome mumbled something, snuffled, and rolled closer to him. He froze, and lay utterly still for what seemed a long time, not wanting to awaken her.

He really should move back to his own mattress, he told himself, as the interior of the hut gradually grew lighter, and the morning chorus of birds started up outside. What if she was angry at finding him here, or thought he was trying force himself on her?

But he couldn't summon up the will to leave her, not when she was curled up trustingly at his side.

It was only when he heard the first villagers rise from their beds, and smelled the smoke from cooking fires, that Inuyasha knew he _had_ to move.

He sat up slowly, hoping not to disturb the girl still sleeping at his side. Looking down at her, he felt a twinge in his chest. _This_ is what he wanted, more than the Shikon no Tama, more than anything--to wake up like this every morning, with Kagome at his side.

Almost against his will, he reached down and touched her cheek again.

And froze when she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

_Oh shit. I woke her up. And now she's gonna notice that I'm--that we're--_

"Inuyasha?" she mumbled, still obviously half-asleep. Then she blinked, and gave him a heartbreakingly brilliant smile. "You're awake! How do you feel?"

Before he could react, she sat up on her knees and lunged forward, engulfing him a hug, dragging her quilt half over them with sleepy enthusiasm.

He let himself yield to the embrace for a moment, inhaling deeply to try to get some trace of her beloved scent through the damnable dulling of his senses.

Then instinct took over: _I can't let her know how weak I am. _

"I'm fine. I feel fine." His voice sounded hoarse and uneven, even to him. He put his hands on her shoulders, and pushed her away, gently but firmly. Removing a dangerous temptation...

Steeling himself to ignore the hurt expression on her face, he climbed unsteadily to his feet and looked around for his fire-rat garments. He hoped like hell that the light sleeping robe he wore concealed the fact that his knees were shaking.

"Inuyasha, I don't think you should--"

"Dammit, Kagome, how long have I been lying around here?" he demanded, brusquely.

"Three days," she said, softly. "I was really worried."

_Three days? What the hell--?_ His heart sank.

He spotted his clothing.

"Well, I'm fine now, and sick of being cooped up. Turn around, willya?" he demanded, picking up his hakama. "And no peeping."

"Like I'd even _want_ to!" she protested, and huffily maneuvered herself around to sit with her back to him.

No one else was in the hut. Even old lady Kaede had found somewhere else to sleep. Inuyasha wasn't sure if he was flattered or irritated by this sign of special treatment.

Inuyasha cursed as his shaking fingers frustrated his efforts to tie his belt.

Behind him, he heard the soft rustle of clothing and the creak of the floorboards as Kagome took the opportunity to dress herself, as well.

"I still think you need more rest," Kagome said, without turning around.

"I'm _fine,"_ he snapped, glaring at his uncooperative fingers. "And don't we have a jewel to find, and a dragon to hunt?"

"But, Inuyasha, you're still not..." Her voice trailed off, but he knew what she wanted to say.

"What, you mean just because I _look_ human?" he sneered. "I'm fine. Stop treating me like some wimpy..." He groped for a comparison, and came up empty. "...human."

Even without his hanyou senses, the waves of anger rolling off her were impossible to miss.

"What are you trying to prove, you idiot?" she asked, her voice rising with temper. "Can't you, for once, just let your friends help you? Especially when you're like this?"

The reminder of his detestable weakness rankled him. _I can still protect you, Kagome!_

"I don't need your help." He finished tucking in his jacket, and looked around. "Where the hell did you put my sword?"

"Inuyasha!" she said, enunciating each syllable of his name with icy precision. "You get back into bed this very instant! Miroku said you need to rest until your youki is replenished."

"Oh yeah?" It was vitally important that she not look at him and think he was weak. "Make me!"

_"Osuwari!"_ she yelled, then clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.

The enchanted rosary around his neck gave a warning tingle, and he braced himself for the inevitable impact against the floorboards.

_Me and my stupid mouth. This is gonna hurt._

…and nothing happened.

_Hah! _He grinned triumphantly at her, resolutely ignoring the fact that he apparently had so little youki that even the rosary couldn't subdue him.

Her guilt-stricken expression transmuted back to annoyance.

Only then did he notice the tall, golden-haired youth standing in the doorway of the hut, a bucket of water in his hands.

"Er, sorry to intrude," said the stranger, politely. "But Miroku said we should give Inuyasha a sponge-bath today..."

His gaze flicked uncertainly over to Inuyasha, as if surprised to see the hanyou awake and fully dressed.

Inuyasha felt further humiliation heat his cheeks. _A sponge bath?_ _A fucking sponge bath! What am I? A baby? An invalid? Weak..._

And this stranger had been amongst Inuyasha's nurses, and seen him helpless and maybe even naked?

It--it was _beyond_ mortifying!

"Ah, good morning, Al-_kun!_" Kagome said, hastily pulling up her quilt around her, and blushing prettily.

_Al? That tall bastard is Edward's brother? _

Inuyasha caught the adoring look that this Al threw Kagome's way, and his irritation with Edward's brother curdled instantly into strong dislike.

The fact that Inuyasha had to look _up_ to meet Al's eye didn't help, either.

"Alphonse-kun, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is Edward's little brother, Alphonse," Kagome said, confirming what Inuyasha had already guessed.

"I'm pleased to meet you," said Alphonse, soft-voiced and polite as a girl. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Inuyasha thought the bastard actually sounded like he _meant_ it.

"So, you're Edward's brother?" Inuyasha asked, slowly, deliberately using the rudest possible form of address. Damn it, he wished he had Tetsusaiga. Where had Kagome hidden his sword? "Great. Tell me you're not gonna break shit the way that your brother did."

Alphonse blinked, and frowned, as if he was certain he had misunderstood something.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelped, glaring at him furiously. "Can't you be _polite_ for once? Al helped us a lot while you were...sick."

Inuyasha's heart sank as she hurried to Alphonse's side, and took the bastard's arm, apologizing profusely for Inuyasha's rudeness.

Kagome and Al left the hut together, her hand still clasping his arm, and him looking down at her with that same goofy, love-sick look that Kouga employed around her.

Inuyasha was left alone.

His legs were shaking too badly to remain standing. Cursing himself, his weakness, and above all, his stupid pride, he sank to his knees, and waited for Kagome to return.

She _was_ coming back, wasn't she?

Author's Note

Many, many thanks to the wonderful **kokoronagomu**, who has generously agreed to serve as my beta-reader. She's already saved me twice from making glaring continuity errors...and she asks really excellent story questions.


	20. Rival

17

Pretty much everyone in the village overheard Inuyasha and Kagome's argument. The walls of Kaede's cottage were thin, and both Inuyasha and Kagome possessed healthy sets of lungs.

"He must be feeling better," Ed overheard Miroku tell Sango over their morning bowls of rice and vegetables.

Alphonse grabbed a bucket filled with water, wearing a determined expression that worried Ed, and headed for Kaede's hut.

Whatever was said in the hut didn't take long.

Alphonse emerged, followed by Kagome, and the two of them spoke quietly for a few moments before she returned to the hut.

Alphonse, barely slowed down as he passed Ed with a determined stride, muttering something about getting some firewood. He looked angry--a rare expression on his usually good-natured face--and his face was flushed.

With a sigh, Ed put down his half-finished breakfast--damn, how he missed toast, eggs, and coffee!--and followed his brother.

Ed found Al sitting some distance from the others. Instead of gathering the promised firewood, Al was sitting on a log that overlooked the mirrored surface of a rice paddy, his expression still set in a scowl.

"Hey." Ed seated himself next to Al, and joined him in contemplating the view silently for a few minutes.

There was a long-legged white bird stepping delicately through the shallow water. As Ed watched, he saw the snake-like head strike downward, and the long yellow beak spear a wriggling frog.

Tendrils of smoke from breakfast fires hung in the morning light, mingling with patches of pure white mist clinging to the slopes of the hills surrounding the village.

He hoped that Al might say something, _anything,_ that Ed could use as a conversational opening. But Al remained silent, his elbows resting on his knees. With an internal sigh, Ed decided to plunge right into the difficult topic.

"Look, about Kagome...I'm sure she's a sweet girl, but she and Inuyasha, well, um—"

"I'm not giving up, Brother," Al said, turning to him.

Ed saw how his brother's jaw was set, and his heart sank. People were usually fooled by Al's generally cheerful, polite temperament, but Ed knew that when his brother wore that expression, nothing would sway him.

"Inuyasha doesn't deserve her. He's so rude, Brother, and he treats her like a servant, and—"

"And he was willing to _die_ for her," Ed interjected. "He's acting all tough now, but you should have seen him while the well was closed. He wasn't eating, and if you think he's rude and ill-tempered _now_..."

"I don't care," Al said quietly. "I'm not sure I'm willing to die for her, but, Brother, when I kissed Kagome, it just felt so _right._ And I think she felt it, too."

"You _kissed_ her?" Ed asked in horror.

_If Inuyasha ever finds out..._Ed shuddered. He had grown to respect the hanyou youth even if he still didn't like him very much, and he would regret having to kill Inuyasha if Inuyasha tried to hurt Alphonse.

Al's stubborn expression hardened into a frown. "Why are you taking _his_ side? Why don't you want me to be happy?"

Ed felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. "Of course I want you to be happy!" he snapped. "That's _all_ I've ever wanted. But I don't think you'll be very happy, torn into several large pieces by an angry half-demon." He realized he was shouting, and forced himself to speak in a normal voice. "And what about Winry? Don't you want to see her again?"

Al cocked his head, studying Ed. "Haven't you ever been in love, Brother?"

"Wha—no!"

"Why not?"

Ed blinked at his sudden right turn in the conversation. "Well—no time, for one thing. I mean, first, we were searching for the Philosopher's Stone, and I didn't want to get distracted. And, then, stuck in this world, I didn't want to get involved with anyone because I knew I'd go home one day, and it would harder if I had...ties...here. And now..." he shrugged. "With any luck, we'll find Envy, open a Gate home, and then maybe..."

Al sighed, and drew up his knees to rest his chin. "I knew you wouldn't understand, Brother. You're so single-minded...

"Hey!" Ed said, indignantly. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Al grinned at him. "It means that I think when you get home again, maybe you should go see the Colonel."

"Why him?" Ed blinked, trying to follow his brother's logic. "You think he might be able to give me some tips on picking up women, or something?"

"He said something, that time when you came home, just before we—" Al smiled. "It made me think that he had really missed you."

_"Missed me?_ What?" Ed asked, indignantly. "You think I'm—I'm--" he flailed around, sorting through various pejoratives, before settling on, "--_interested?_ In Colonel Mustang? Another _man?_ You've got to be fucking kidding me! Rose, yeah, sure. Winry, maybe...but the Colonel?"

"Methinks Brother doth protest too much…" murmured Al, with a wicked smirk. As Ed lunged for him, Al retreated with a swift back flip.

"Sorry, Brother!" He rose to his feet, laughing.

Ed lashed out with his right leg, confident that Al would dodge it.

And Al did, his hands held up in mock-surrender. "No, _really,_ I'm sorry! I just thought..."

"What, exactly, did he say?" True, Roy Mustang had seemed happy to see them, Ed recalled, but amidst the bloodshed and chaos of the Thule Society's invasion of Amestris, there hadn't even been time to ask about the eyepatch.

"I—I don't exactly remember. In any case, it was _how_ he said it, more than his actual words." Color rose in Al's cheeks, a clear sign he was lying.

A new, and troubling thought occurred to Ed. _Why is Al trying so hard to convince me of Mustang's possible, er, interest?_

"Your, um, feelings for Kagome. Don't tell me that you're thinking of staying here, on this side of the Gate?"

Al looked away, his face dark red now, and Ed felt a wave of fury, bolstered by fear, sweep over him.

Was that why Al had urged Ed in Mustang's direction? As if Mustang, with his ever-changing string of girlfriends, would even consider--? No, that wasn't right, Ed corrected himself. As if he, Edward Elric, could even imagine kissing a--a _man?_

He liked girls, damn it. _Girls!_

Not that Ed's preferences were really the point here.

Ed stared at his brother, his only living family member, for whom he had bled.

For whom he had traded his right arm.

For whom he had willingly sacrificed himself to a bleak exile in another world.

And now, he was being asked for one more sacrifice.

_It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fucking fair! _

After all he'd sacrificed—after how hard they'd scrabbled and scraped and journeyed, just to find a way home-- now Al no longer wanted to go home?

Edward Elric swallowed, hard, and forced himself to say the words he thought Al needed to hear.

"I—I won't stand in your way, Al," he said, his voice sounding high, unnatural even to his own ears. "Do what you need to."

He rose to go, but Al grabbed for his sleeve. "Brother!" he said, looking distressed. "I didn't mean—I'd never send you away. How can you even _think_ that? If I can—if I can convince Kagome, I was hoping that the three of us could go home, to Risembool...But I'd never send you away alone, Brother. Never!"

The scarlet of a minute ago had fled Al's cheeks, and his freckles stood out now against pale skin. His hazel eyes pleaded with Ed.

"I know, Al," Ed said, quietly. He clasped Al's wrist, and squeezed lightly, forgiving him. "But Kagome has a family of her own. What if she doesn't want to leave Japan?"

He thought, but didn't say: _What if she loves Inuyasha as much as he loves her?_

The stubborn look reappeared on Al's face, and Ed's heart sank. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Brother."

Al released his sleeve, and Ed turned to go, his heart heavy. "Don't take too long with that firewood," was all he said.

ooOoo

Kagome saw Inuyasha's dark eyes flash to her as she re-entered Kaede's cottage. He looked relieved at her return.

She felt an instant of pity for him--normally, he would have smelled her approach, instead of having to look for her.

"Inuyasha," she said, toeing off her shoes, and settling herself down on her knees on her futon. "Can't you at least _try_ to be nice to Alphonse-kun? He's a good person."

He dropped his gaze, his features set in their familiar scowl. "That's what _you_ think. You're too fucking trusting, Kagome."

"I couldn't have returned here if Alphonse hadn't helped me. Uncle Souta, too," she added.

"You wouldn't have been stranded in the first place, if Edward and Alphonse hadn't broken the well," Inuyasha pointed out, sitting cross-legged and tucking his hands into his wide red sleeves. His scowl deepened as he glared down at his quilt. "Besides, he's only being nice to you because--" He clamped his lips together without finishing his sentence.

_He knows about the kiss!_ Kagome's heart contracted with a sudden jolt of fear, and she felt her face grow hot. _No, he doesn't. There no way he could have found out,_ she told herself. _Inuyasha's just being jealous, as usual._

"Edward-san and Al-kun are going to help us find the dragon," she said, firmly. "So we're going to have to work together."

"…don't need their help," Inuyasha muttered. "I'll be back to normal soon."

_Oh, so that's what's really bothering him!_ Kagome chided herself for not having figured it out sooner. After all, hadn't she been with Inuyasha for quite a few New Moon nights?

"That's what Sango says, too." She gathered up her courage, and put a hand on his shoulder.

After spending the last three days in constant contact with an unconscious Inuyasha, it felt odd to return to her previous caution about touching him. "She thinks you'll be back to…to your usual self in another day or two."

He nodded, still not looking at her. His long hair had fallen forward, curtaining his expression.

She found herself looking for promising streaks of silver in his dark mane, and became conscious that her hand was still on his shoulder.

_Am I annoying him? Should I stop now?_

Before she could act on her thought, he moved, and she felt his calloused fingers rest on the back of her hand._ I guess he doesn't mind, after all._

"Kagome, I'm sorry." The words were so unexpected--and out of character--that it took her a few moments to comprehend what he was saying.

"It's okay," she said, not sure if he was apologizing for being rude to Alphonse, or for being trapped in human form. Knowing him, it was probably the latter.

But hearing his apology gave her the courage to lean forward, and put her arms loosely around him, pressing lightly against his back. When he didn't show any signs of stiffening or pulling back, she rested her chin on his shoulder.

She felt rather than heard his sigh.

"It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay," she repeated, wishing she could believe it herself.

**Author's Note**

Many thanks to my beta, the wonderful **kokoronagomu, **typo-catcher extraordinaire!


	21. Faulty Intelligence

10

_near Kasama, 16th-century Japan_

In retrospect, maybe he shouldn't have taken the damned Jewel, after all.

Envy awoke from one of his increasingly-frequent blackouts, his head pounding, and found himself sprawled in the middle of a rice paddy.

He was in dragon form and the air was thick with the scents of smoke and bloody death. Looking around blearily, he caught sight of a cluster of smoldering debris—splintered planks and scorched clothing, and the broken bodies of humans and livestock--where a small village had once stood. _Fuck!_

Not that he particularly cared about a bunch of grimy-faced peasants and their squalling spawn, but _he_ wanted to be the one to choose when to mete out death and destruction. In this time and place, he was a lord, not a pawn, and especially not the pawn of a fucking pink sphere!

Besides, he liked his creature comforts, most of which were made possible by the tithes paid—_had been paid_--by the peasants like these in his feudal domain.

_But we need the fear, the despair. We starve without it…and _she_ becomes stronger,_ whispered the Jewel, its voices an annoying tickle in the back of Envy's mind. _We cannot allow Midoriko to win._

_Shut up!_ he raged silently. _Just shut up!_

He was fucking sick and tired of hearing the damned thing whispering to him, day and night.

His red stones had always hummed with the human lives they were comprised of, but they had never fucking _talked_ to him!

Or taken over his body in an unguarded moment!

Envy growled, and uncoiled. He took a last look around the ruined rice paddy, its dikes crumbled and its young crop churned under into a mass of swampy mud, and headed back to his fortress.

The number of his human servants had been dwindling at an alarming rate over the past few weeks. Now, only a hardcore group of the palace guard remained. They had taken to calling themselves the Sons of the Dragon--_weird bastards_--and seemed proud of the fact that their master was not only inhuman but downright dangerous.

_Whatever._ Envy's staff had gained a number of youkai to make up for the lack of human servants, but the tricky little bastards were always trying to steal the jewel from him. Besides, they sucked at performing even the most basic of maintenance or housekeeping duties, and it was remarkably easy to yield to the Jewel's pleas and eat the little fuckers whenever one of them annoyed him too much.

_I have to teach that fucking Jewel that I control it, not the other way around! I need that taiyoukai's soul, and the sooner, the better! _

ooOoo

"Lord, there is a human at the gates, a travelling monk." The little foreign magpie youkai bobbed an anxious bow in Envy's direction. "He claims to have information on the taiyoukai you seek."

_Finally! I was beginning to wonder if this dog-demon even really existed! _Envy grinned, and dismissed the demon with a sharp gesture. "Well, what are you waiting for, bird-brain? Bring him here!"

It had been three days since the unfortunate destruction of the village, and Envy was still stewing about his loss of control. He hoped Naraku had been telling him the truth about this whole soul business...but what other choice did he have?

The magpie-demon's blue-green feathers flattened against its body in alarm, and it hopped quickly away, not quite taking flight but exuding the strong desire to do so.

_Stupid little Chinese pest._ Envy knew it was just waiting for the opportunity to try to snatch the Jewel...

As he awaited his visitor, Envy took the opportunity to alter his appearance a little, giving himself fancy lacquered armor and an even fancier sword, but making himself look a little younger in the process. Harmless, even. _Can't scare the human too badly, lest he forget what he wants to tell me..._

There. Now he looked like a young _daimyo_, new to his position, and a little uncertain of his authority. Perfectly disarming, not at all the fearsome dragon that the monk might have heard stories about...

The magpie demon returned, leading the visitor with a careful arrogance that made Envy want to howl with derision.

The monk, following close on the little demon's heels--if birds could be said to have heels--was one of the itinerant vagabond kind. He was surprisingly young, with mud-splashed robes and dirty feet.

Well, if any human was in the position to hear interesting rumors, Envy thought, as he studied his visitor, a traveling monk would be it. Still, there was something a little suspicious about this one...maybe an assassin?

_Now, that might be fun._ Envy wanted the promised information, but a chance to legitimately vent some of his frustrations by taking an enemy apart...slowly...also had its appeal. He would wait and see.

The monk bowed low, and the broad-brimmed hat slung around his neck slipped forward. "Lord," he said, still bowing, so that he was addressing the tatami mat rather than Envy. "Is it true that you are offering a reward for information about the son of the fearsome Inu-no-Taisho?"

Well, okay. Maybe this monk was for real, after all.

Envy assumed a thoughtful pose, leaning forward on his dais, and propping his chin in his palm. "That's correct, _houshi-sama_. I'm offering five _ryou_ for solid information about where I might find this dog-demon."

"That's a generous sum in gold, lord." The monk dared to look up, and his gaze fixed unerringly on the jewel that hung around Envy's neck on a silver chain.

"Well...?" Envy prompted, after a few moments of silence.

"Ah, yes. Of course, lord!" The monk tore his wide-eyed gaze away from the Shikon no Tama, and bobbed into another bow. "The son of the Inu-no-Taisho is presently to be found in Musashi's domain, in a village a day's walk inland from Edo."

Envy nodded. "Which village, _houshi-sama?"_

"I don't know its name, lord." The monk's gaze returned to the Shikon no Tama like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

At Envy's snort, he added hastily: "But there is a famous well there, lord, known the Bone-eater's Well. Everyone in the area knows of it. Ask for the whereabouts of the miko Kaede-sama."

The Bone-eater's Well? Envy controlled his startled reaction with an effort. He knew that place...he'd come through that well after escaping from his captivity in the confusion of the earthquake.

"Very well," he said, keeping his voice calm and disinterested. "And you can confirm that there is indeed a dog-demon there? What can you tell me about him?"

"Lord, he is a powerful youkai. He carries a famous sword, bequeathed to him by the Inu-no-Taisho, and he has several human followers, as well as a small youkai. In particular, there is a human girl he goes to great lengths to protect..."

_I'll be damned, _thought Envy, as the monk continued to talk. There had been a young girl and a small imp trailing the taiyoukai in the image that Naraku had shown him.

"Are you telling me, _houshi-sama,_" Envy inquired, just to make sure. "That those humans are not food or slaves, as would be proper for a demon of his stature, but rather that they're his... pets?"

"He calls them his friends, lord," murmured the monk, scuffing one dusty, horn-skinned foot against the tatami.

"Disgusting!" muttered the magpie youkai. "For a youkai to lower himself like that--"

Envy glared at him. _Kill him!_ urged the voices of the Jewel. _Kill him and feed on his life..._

Some part of Envy's human guise must have slipped. He saw the little youkai's glossy feathers instantly press tight against its body in alarm.

The monk blanched, and fell to his knees, forehead knocking against the floor.

Irritated, Envy forced his attention away from the Jewel's annoying pleas and back to the monk.

"Is there anything else?" he asked.

He let the monk babble for a few minutes, until he noticed that the man was beginning to repeat himself under Envy's unflinching scrutiny

"Well, then, I think you have earned your reward," Envy said, interrupting his visitor mid-stream.

In fact, the news was better than he had expected. Not only did he know exactly where to find the taiyoukai, but he had human pets he valued. Envy could use that to his advantage.

At his gesture, the magpie-demon hopped forward, and handed the monk a tiny purse of embroidered silk.

"Your reward, human," it said, sulkily, quickly snatching away its fingers, as if it feared contamination.

The monk rose to his feet, weighing the purse in his palm with a faintly disbelieving air, as if amazed that he had not only survived the audience, but had actually received the promised amount.

"Thank you, lord!" he said, bowing again, deeply. Then he scuttled out of the audience hall with comical speed, and was gone.

_Why didn't you eat the human? We grow hungry... _whispered the souls trapped in the jewel.

_Well, it would have been less expensive than paying that scruffy charlatan,_ thought Envy, _but word would have gotten out._

He knew from long experience that it was never a good policy to harm informants--who knew when they might come in useful again?

The voices protested, growing more insistent as the Jewel's hunger grew.

Envy's eye lit on the magpie demon. "You," he drawled. "What have I told you about interrupting during audiences?"

The little demon fell to his breast, and buried his beak in the tatami. "He was just a miserable human, lord," he cheeped, miserably. "I didn't think you'd mind!"

"You thought wrong." Envy's hand shot out, his arm unnaturally elongated.

His fingers closed around the feathered form, and he felt delicate, hollow bones creak in his grasp.

The little magpie demon began shrieking, and ear-piercing sound didn't stop until Envy popped it into his mouth, and bit down, feeling the pleasant crunch of bones and the less-pleasant crunch of feathers between his teeth.

He felt the rush of youki as it left the little demon's dying body, and was absorbed by his red stones.

_Tastes like chicken,_ he thought, ironically, as the tormenting voices, temporarily appeased, faded to a distant mutter.

ooOoo

The monk waited until he had walked a fair distance away from Envy's castle. Then, reasonably certain that he hadn't been followed, he let his disguise melt away, and summoned a shikigami to give him a ride.

Walking was for humans. Besides, it really sucked.

It had been a gamble, coming here on Naraku's orders, thought Byakuya of the Mirage. But it had paid off handsomely. Naraku would be pleased.

Oh, he had told the dragon the truth, all right—a son of the Inu-no-Taisho was indeed keeping company with humans near the fishing village of Edo.

But while Envy was clearly hunting the great Sesshoumaru, Naraku had told Byakuya that it would be good to ensure that both the hanyou Inuyasha and his miko encountered this troublesome not-a-youkai-but-not-a-human-either.

Envy's retainers had referred to him as a dragon, but he didn't resemble any kind of a dragon that Byakuya had ever met, or heard about. For one thing, dragons were not shape-changers by nature, and Envy had conducted his audience in human form. Yet, Naraku had also seen Envy in dragon-form.

It was all very odd, but ultimately, it didn't really matter.

Envy had been pushed in the direction that Naraku wished him to go. Now, all that Byakuya had to do was watch, and wait for Envy to kill Inuyasha, or Inuyasha to kill Envy. Either way, he would be watching and waiting for the chance to retrieve the Shikon-no-Tama in the confusion.

_A brilliant plan, really, _thought Byakuya, as the shikigami swooped into the sky, and headed in the direction of Naraku's castle. His master might be weakened by the loss of the jewel, but he was by no means powerless.

ooOoo

Several days' walk away from Envy's fortress, Kohaku left the tiny village at dusk, carrying several leaf-wrapped packages of food, payment for ridding the village of a troublesome insect-youkai.

Though his life was being artifically sustained by the jewel shard that Naraku had embedded in his back, Kohaku still needed to eat and drink, and had even grown a little in the months since his death and resurrection.

He would need to alter his youkai-leather armor soon, he thought, as he walked the path along the top of the dikes separating the rice paddies, heading for the treeline up ahead.

_She_ would be waiting for him there, he knew. _She_ did not need to eat, or drink, but she was always kind enough to allow him to take what time he needed to tend to his frail human body.

The young youkai exterminator stopped at the edge of the forest, concentrating his senses in a search for his companion. The shard tingled between his shoulder blades, as if calling out to the one who had purified it, thus keeping him free of Naraku's malign enslavement.

Kohaku turned slowly, feeling the shard's reaction growing stronger, then tucked the packages of food more securely under his arm, and trotted forward through the dark shapes of the trees.

"Kikyo-sama," he greeted her, as he entered a clearing in the forest a short while later, and spotted her, seated in quiet meditation under a large tree.

She opened her eyes, and looked tranquilly at him. "Did you eat well, Kohaku-kun?"

"Yes, Kikyo-sama. And one of the villagers had a most interesting story to tell me when I asked for news," Kohaku said, eagerly. "He told me that his son was a servant at Kasama castle, four days' walk from here, and that many strange things had happened there. The daimyo was killed and his position usurped by a dragon--"

"Is that so?" Kikyo said, politely, but without any real interest. But she folded her hands in her lap, and waited for Kohaku to continue.

He knew the next tidbit would interest her. "The man also said that this dragon possesses a magical jewel that makes it too powerful for anyone to defeat--"

"The Shikon no Tama! Has Naraku now taken the form of a dragon?" she exclaimed, and rose smoothly to her feet. Stooping to pick up the bow and quiver that had been resting on the ground next to her, she turned to go. "Did the villager tell you in which direction this castle lies?"

**Author, Canon and Language Notes:**

- Daimyo: Japanese feudal lord.

- ryou - medieval Japanese gold coin

- Chinese magpies: the European species are black-and-white. The Asian species have blue-green coloring...very pretty!

- Once again, many thanks to the fabulous **kokoronagomu** for serving as my beta!


	22. Liabilities

Chapter 11: Mistaken Identity

_Musashi's Domain, 16th-century Japan_

When Inuyasha awoke the next morning, he felt like his head was clearing at last. He had spent all of the previous day feeling like his ears and nose were packed with straw, muffling his senses of hearing and smell.

But now, things seemed almost normal again. His claws hadn't yet returned, but his hair had turned its usual silver again, and his ears were no longer human.

And the air, instead of being a dull, bland fog, was once again sharp with the scents of wood, smoke, manure, simmering vegetable stew, tea, and, above all, Kagome's familiar and wonderful scent.

It surrounded him like a warm quilt in winter, calming him. She had been here recently, and was still nearby, then. Waking up beside her yesterday morning hadn't been a dream.

She was _here,_ not trapped on the other side of the well.

Hearing voices outside, Inuyasha pushed back the quilt and rose to his feet. That's right, they were all waiting for him to get his lazy ass out of bed.

And he sure as hell wasn't going to let them make any important decisions without him! Especially not if that bastard Edward and his too-tall brother were still there, and they were, judging from the weird accents he was hearing.

Ignoring the continuing slight shakiness in his legs, Inuyasha dressed quickly in his fire-rat clothing, and reached for Tetsusaiga, drawing the battered, rusty blade from its shabby scabbard with a hopeful catch of his breath.

_Nothing. Damn it. _

Well, not quite nothing--the sword thrummed weakly in his hand, but didn't transform. Still, it was better than yesterday, when it had seemed utterly inert, even if his youki still wasn't strong enough to make the sword useful.

_One more day,_ he told himself. _And then you'll be able to protect Kagome and the others again._

Scowling at this proof that he had not yet fully recovered, he pushed aside the split-bamboo curtain that served as the door to Kaede's cottage and emerged into bright sunshine of late morning.

_Shit. And I overslept, too. _

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the inevitable flood of questions, and strode over to where the others were sitting, eating their midday meal.

Miroku was the first to catch sight of him, and the monk rose with a smile.

"Inuyasha! How are you feeling?"

"Fine," snapped Inuyasha, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his currently-useless sword. "When are we leaving?"

Edward, Alphonse, and a Japanese man wearing the same sort of clothing as the brothers all gaped at him. _What--?_

Oh, wait. Only Edward had seen him in his hanyou form.

Still, Inuyasha didn't like the attention.

"What are _you_ staring at?" Inuyasha demanded of Alphonse.

There was a stranger, a young Japanese man wearing clothes that looked like Edward's, sitting next to Alphonse. When Inuyasha's gaze met him, the stranger hastily averted his gaze, focusing on the half-empty bowl balanced on his knee. Inuyasha studied him a moment longer, but he didn't seem to be a threat, so he returned his attention to Alphonse.

Edward's gaze bounced between Inuyasha and Alphonse, but he didn't say anything, just kept using his chopsticks to awkwardly spear at chunks of vegetable matter in his bowl.

"You, ah, look different. Than before," the tall, golden-haired boy said, and Inuyasha felt the weight of those bronze eyes resting on his dog-ears, the perfect and visible proof of his mixed-blood status.

_Not human. Not youkai. _

"You got a problem with that?" Inuyasha's ears twitched involuntarily, but he held Alphonse's gaze, challengingly, until the other boy reddened and looked away.

"No--no, of course not. Sorry," Alphonse muttered, and Inuyasha couldn't suppress a triumphant smirk.

"Inuyasha, do you want some food?" offered Kagome, in a cheery tone.

She reached for the ladle sticking out of a pot simmering over the fire, and a sudden rush of delicious savory odors came wafting towards him.

"N--" His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, so he couldn't really refuse the stew that Kagome offered him, could he? "Okay. But I'll eat quickly, so we can get going."

"Are you sure you're feeling up it?" Kagome frowned, and examined him closely.

Inuyasha scowled under the scrutiny, and made sure that his long sleeves concealed his clawless fingertips. "I told you, Kagome--I'm fine. You should have woken me up earlier."

He didn't mean for that last part to come out in an accusatory tone, but once said, it was too late to apologize.

Annoyed with himself, his scowl deepened.

She bit her lip and looked away. "I thought you needed the rest. I--I didn't want to disturb you."

"Kagome-san needed the rest, too," interjected Alphonse. "She's been at your side, day and night, for the past few days."

He glared at Inuyasha. His expression clearly said, _And why aren't you more grateful, you bastard?_

Sango was glaring at him, too. Inuyasha didn't particularly care what a stranger thought of him, but his friends' disapproval stung. He hunched his shoulders with a low growl, snatched the bowl from Kagome's hands, and began slurping up the stew, which tasted as delicious as it smelled.

"Maybe we should pack some extra blankets, just in case Inuyasha needs--" Kagome began, and stumbled to a halt under Inuyasha's venomous glare.

"Kagome, I don't need any fuckin--" Inuyasha felt the words rising out of his throat, and knew he was about to get himself "sat."

But he couldn't stop himself. If he didn't convince them that he was back to his usual self, then they'd spend the journey trying to take care of _him._

That was _his_ job. He took care of _them_. If he couldn't protect his friends, couldn't protect Kagome, then what good was he?

_They won't need you if you're weak_, whispered a traitorous voice in his heart.

Miroku stepped hastily between them, and spread his hands.

"Now, now, this has been a difficult time for all of us," he interrupted. "If Inuyasha says that he has recovered..."

"Didn't I say it?" growled Inuyasha.

Miroku's gaze rested skeptically on Inuyasha's hands--_damned monk didn't miss a thing, did he?_--but he nodded. "--if Inuyasha says he has recovered, then he's right. We need to recover the jewel as quickly as possible, before Naraku can get to it, and before the thief learns how to use it."

"And if Envy is really the one who stole the jewel, then it's really bad news," Edward said, and Alphonse nodded vigorously. "We don't know much about this Naraku guy, but we _do_ know Envy, and the chances are that whatever he's is planning to do with the jewel, it's probably ten times worse than what Naraku has done already."

"It's our responsibility to find and stop him," added Alphonse.

"What about _him?_" Inuyasha pointed at the other newcomer with his chin, and spooned up the last of the stew. "Is he a sorcerer, too?"

Kagome shook her head. "That's my great-uncle, Higurashi Souta. He's a scholar, and a priest."

"Pleased to meet you," said Souta. He couldn't quite meet Inuyasha's eyes though.

Inuyasha gave him the once-over. Looked like a perfectly ordinary human from Kagome's world. And his hands were soft, the middle finger on his right hand bumpy with a scribe's callus.

"He any good at exorcising demons?" he asked Kagome, skeptically.

Souta gulped. "Demons? I, ah, I don't think so."

"How about weapons?" Inuyasha asked, without much hope. This guy didn't look like he could distinguish one end of a sword from the other.

"Ah, no. So very sorry," murmured Souta, shrinking in on himself.

"Then he stays behind," declared Inuyasha, firmly.

"No," said Souta, his head coming up suddenly. "I _have_ to come with you!"

Inuyasha blinked, disbelievingly. "Look, if you can't pull your own weight--" he began, but Kagome interrupted him.

"Uncle Souta, this is going to be a very dangerous journey," she said, clasping her hands together nervously. "I don't want you to get hurt. Please listen to Inuyasha, and wait for us here, in the village. I'm certain that Grandmother Kaede could use some help..."

His expression wavered, and Inuyasha was certain that he'd take Kagome up on her offer. Then his lips firmed, and a stubborn expression settled in.

"Kagome-chan, my brothers are hostages, so I must come with you. I promised Ikeda-san I would return with his dragon. Besides," he added, looking embarrassed, "if a young girl like yourself can face danger, then I can, too."

"But Kagome isn't helpless like you are," Inuyasha said bluntly. "She's taken down a lot of youkai--tough bastards, too."

It was no more than the truth, but Kagome blushed, and gave him a smile that made him feel like he could take on this Envy with his bare hands.

Inuyasha swallowed, hard, and forced himself not to react, not in front of the others.

Souta's stubborn expression deepened, and the determined line of his mouth became obstinate.

Inuyasha sighed quietly, all-too-familiar with that expression from long acquaintance with Kagome.

"I swear I won't be a burden on any of you," Souta said, quietly, but firmly. "And I _am_ coming with you, whether you like it, or not. I promised my brothers I would find the dragon."

Inuyasha looked around their little group, seeking support, but to his surprise, didn't find it.

Miroku shrugged. "I understand the burden of keeping promises."

Sango nodded. "If he understands the danger and still wants to accompany us, I say we let him," she said. "His brothers are hostages, after all."

"And Brother and I will do our best to keep an eye out for him," Alphonse said, with a warm glance in Kagome's direction that made Inuyasha's fingers tighten around the hilt of his sword.

_Fucking suck-up,_ he thought, sourly. But it seemed to be working, because Kagome was giving Alphonse the same brilliant, grateful smile she had bestowed on Inuyasha just moments earlier.

Inuyasha turned away, so that he wouldn't have to look at them. "Okay. Just don't expect me to babysit some weak human," he grumbled.

After a bit more discussion, they finally set out on their journey, having decided that the most likely candidate was a new daimyo ruling a domain to the north-east, near the renowned Inari-shrine of Kasama.

Shippou was ordered to stay behind with the old hag, and the little kitsune complied with a grumble. Inuyasha wasn't sure that the little pest wouldn't sneak after them, anyway, but he felt compelled to do what he could to keep Shippou safe from what sounded like a very dangerous opponent.

By this time, the afternoon was well on its way, and Inuyasha was burning with impatience despite his shameful feelings of fatigue. But he wasn't going to admit, even to himself, how inviting a nap sounded...

Instead, he insisted on taking Kagome's backpack--not her usual yellow one, but a new, dark green one, filled with sealed metal cylinders of preserved food. It was heavy--not that he was going to admit that, either--and they hadn't walked more than an hour before his muscles began to burn with the strain.

_Weak!_ Why was he still so weak?

He glanced down at his still-clawless fingertips with disgust, set his jaw, and forced himself to pick up his pace. He couldn't afford to let the others get ahead of him, even if his shoulders ached with tiredness from the heavy pack and the breath rasped in his lungs.

At least none of his friends found his lack of conversation unusual, as he concentrated on setting one foot in front of the other.

Still, it was a relief--a shameful relief--when the shadows had lengthened sufficiently for Miroku to suggest that they make camp for the night.

**Author Notes**

Thanks to the fabulous **kokoronagomu** for serving as my beta!


	23. Mistaken Identity

20 20. Mistaken Identity

They split up the chores with the efficiency born of their many travels together, and put the newcomers to work gathering firewood and drawing water from a nearby stream for whatever stew Kagome planned to concoct from her collection of heavy metal cylinders.

Inuyasha made a quick patrol around the perimeter of their camping area to ensure that no youkai lurked nearby, waiting to steal the precious jewel shards that Kagome carried.

When he rejoined the others, Alphonse was kneeling next to a neatly-arranged pile of tinder and kindling, examining Miroku's flint and steel in the last of the daylight, as if he'd never seen the simple loop of metal and piece of battered stone before.

"It goes over your fingers, like this," Kagome said, indulgently, slipping the loop over Alphonse's knuckles. "And then you just sort of hit the flint until you get a spark. Don't forget to hold it near the tinder, though," she added, with a wry smile.

Inuyasha remembered her first misadventures with trying to light fires, and from the slight smirk on Miroku's face, he was remembering, too.

"Hey, Kagome," Inuyasha said, sitting down at the base of a nearby tree and leaning back against its trunk. "Why aren't you using those 'match' things that you always bring from your world?"

She gave an apologetic laugh. "They're still at the village, in my other backpack. I forgot to repack then."

"And we didn't bring any matches, either," Edward added. "You know how you always forget at least one important thing when packing in a hurry...?"

"I think there's an easier way to do this." Alphonse looked up, pulling off the metal loop and handing it and the chunk of flint back to Miroku. "If you'll strike a spark on my signal, Miroku-sama," he said politely, then glanced over to Kagome. "Kagome-san, can I borrow your shards?"

Inuyasha stiffened in alarm. No one touched Kagome's shards, not even him!

But she didn't hesitate as she reached under her shirt and brought up the chain with its pendant vial.

Alphonse had grabbed a twig and quickly sketched a small circle with various sorcerous symbols.

Edward cast an uneasy glance in Inuyasha's direction. "Al, I don't think this is a good idea," he murmured.

Inuyasha agreed, though he would have let a crab-youkai tear off his lips before he said anything.

"It'll be fine, Brother," Alphonse replied, brightly. "How do you think we re-opened the well when your transmutation failed?"

_Failed...? Edward failed? All--all this was for fucking nothing?_

Inuyasha's gaze dropped to his fingers with their weak human nails. He suddenly felt like throwing up.

Except that would make him look weak.

He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached, and swallowed convulsively. _I couldn't do anything. I failed Kagome..._

In unison, Alphonse and Kagome touched their fingertips to the pattern in the dirt, and rose-colored light flared.

"Miroku-sama, if you please...?" Al said, frowning in concentration.

The monk deftly struck a spark from the flint and steel, and an instant later, the kindling was ablaze.

Souta and Edward scrambled to feed the fire with larger pieces of wood.

And Inuyasha was left with the unsettling realization that Alphonse was just as powerful a sorcerer as Edward. It had been easier to think of Alphonse as Edward's responsibility, his younger brother to protect and watch over. But to see Alphonse so powerful and confident in his own right...

_He opened the well. He's the one who returned Kagome to this time, not me. _

Meanwhile, Souta appeared to be highly excited by Alphonse's demonstration, and he was peppering the two brothers with questions about something called "combustion."

"Look," Edward was saying, in a slightly exasperated tone. "Fire alchemy is the most difficult kind of alchemy, because it requires so much control. Imagine what would happen if your oxygen ratios were off--"

"Here's the basic transmutation circle for producing flame," Alphonse interjected, eagerly, taking a stick and rapidly sketching out a series of interlocking circles and triangles, with what looked like a gout of flame and a stylized lizard in a patch of smooth dirt next to the campfire. "It creates a stoichiometric mixture with just enough air to completely burn the available fuel."

Souta nodded, and Miroku leaned in, fascinated by this new knowledge.

Kagome had turned her attention to helping Sango open the metal food cylinders, but even they looked interested in the explanation, which sounded like gibberish to Inuyasha.

"Now, when you're channeling energy through the transmutation circle, the hardest part is avoiding incomplete combustion," Ed said, picking up where Alphonse had left off, his earlier hesitancy apparently forgotten. "That's when you can't concentrate enough oxygen to allow the fuel--wood sucks as fuel, by the way, hydrocarbons are much better--to react completely with the oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water--"

Inuyasha leaned back and let his head rest against the tree trunk. All this talk of sorcery was making his head throb, an insistent ache building behind his eyes and above his brows.

"Brother," interrupted Al, "I'm sure Professor Higurashi knows--"

At the same time, Souta said, dryly, "I _do_ have some basic knowledge of physics, Edward-kun."

Ed sputtered to a halt. "Yeah, sorry." His fair cheeks reddened. "I forgot you know this stuff inside and out. I kinda got used to having to explain the basics of rocket fuel to our sponsors when I was in Munich."

"No offense taken," Souta said, graciously. "Now, according to what you've just told me, this transmutation circle is actually the equation for concentrating oxygen in the air. Now, assuming that alchemy follows the basic equation for combustion--"

Taking the stick from Ed, he wrote out a string of characters in the dirt next to the transmutation circle: CH4 + 2O2 + 7.52N2 -- CO2 + 2H2O + 7.52N2 + heat

"--how do you usually ignite the flame without matches or flint-and-steel?"

"Colonel Mustang--Brother's commanding officer at home, he was known as the Flame Alchemist --had gloves made from a special kind of cloth. When he snapped his fingers, poof!" Alphonse snapped his fingers, and simulated the resulting explosion.

_Bet it wasn't as impressive as my Kaze no Kizu_, Inuyasha thought, with a silent sneer. He let his hand curl around Tetsusaiga, which was leaning against his shoulder. _Tomorrow you'll work for me, won't you?_

There was a flash of movement beyond Edward and Souta. It was Kagome, empty canvas bucket held in her hand. "Tea, anyone? I'll just go down to the stream for some water."

Inuyasha gathered his strength before the effort of rising to his feet. But he was too slow--Alphonse had already jumped up. "I'll go with you, Kagome-san," he called.

Inuyasha found himself too tired to protest having his guard duties usurped.

But he was not too tired to watch the two of them together.

As they walked away from camp, he saw that Kagome was smiling and polite, like she was to everyone but him (and he was glad of it--her honest temper tantrums and shouting matches with him were something _real_, not the mask she showed that wimpy wolf Kouga or the others).

But Alphonse...Inuyasha swallowed hard at the way the tall boy looked at Kagome, how he smiled at her, glowing with joy like a paper lantern with a candle burning at its heart.

Inuyasha knew that feeling well, though years of wary self-control had taught him how to hide it from everyone. Alphonse, foreigner that he was, apparently felt no need to hide his feelings.

Edward's younger brother was in love with Kagome. _His_ Kagome.

But how did she feel about Alphonse?

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, studying them, recalling the bits and pieces of their interaction that he'd witnessed over the course of the afternoon.

She was polite to that boy, yes, but with an odd hesitation, something that was nearly a flinch when he moved too close. Had that tall bastard _tried_ something...?

Yet, she was also comfortable enough with him to tease him a bit while they were walking this afternoon. And from what little he'd overheard, she and Alphonse had both been guests in Souta's home for the week that she'd been stranded on the other side of the well.

More than enough time to form a friendship...or had it turned into something more?

_Fuck_. Inuyasha felt a little nauseous at the thought. Alphonse was not only a full-blooded human, but he was also a scholar and an accomplished sorcerer, like his brother. Not to mention that Alphonse was much better-spoken, polite, and charming than Inuyasha's rough hanyou self.

How could Inuyasha possibly compete against someone like that?

With an effort, Inuyasha tried to suppress the surge of jealousy, but he knew that he had just spent the past two days being crankier and ruder than usual to everyone around him, but particularly Kagome.

He was probably driving her away, but he just couldn't help himself.

_Better to appear rude than weak._ If they were angry with him, at least they respected him. He couldn't bear the thought of his friends _pitying_ him.

Anything was better than _that_, he told himself, but the reassurance sounded hollow and false.

Against his will, he remembered how it had felt, waking up next to Kagome, looking at her sleeping face, feeling the warmth of her body next to his. And he wanted that again, wanted to be able to put his arms around her, wanted to feel her heartbeat against his fingertips and the palm of his hand, and the soft brush of her hair against his neck.

He wanted _her_, but it seemed that all he could do was drive her away.

Then he caught sight of Edward. The sorcerer was watching his brother and Kagome, too, his mouth drawn down in a tight line of pain, his eyes shadowed with aching loss.

A spurt of anger ran through Inuyasha.

How _dare_ that bastard Edward look miserable at the prospect of having Kagome as his sister-in-law?

He should be happy and grateful, damn it, not looking as miserable as Inuyasha felt...

"We're almost out of firewood," Edward said abruptly.

Scrambling to his feet, he turned on his heel, obliterating the scratched patterns in the earth, and strode away into the woods.

ooOoo

"I seek the son of the Inu-no-Taisho," Envy said. "He has long silver hair, and travels with a human girl and a small youkai."

His tone was conversational enough, but he was in dragon form, and had one clawed foot wrapped firmly around a terrified young farmer. They were at the edge of a rice paddy not far from the Bone-eater's Well.

The villager's eyes widened, but he shook his head wildly.

Envy grinned. "Don't know, or just don't want to tell me?"

He tightened his grip the tiniest bit, and let a claw pierce flesh. It slid home in that soft patch of flesh between the bottom of the ribcage and top of the hipbone.

The man screamed, and the sharp, scent of fresh urine joined the rusty smell of fresh blood.

Envy waited, not very patiently, until the scream died away to whimpers. Then he repeated the question.

"G-gone!" gasped the man. He was sweating profusely, though his skin felt unpleasantly cold and clammy. "Inuyasha and the others left today. They took that road, dragon-sama!" He pointed, his arm shaking with terror.

_Inuyasha. What a stupid name. _

Envy flung the human away with a disdainful flick of his wrist, ignoring the way the man's shriek silenced abruptly after hitting a tree trunk several meters away. Without any youki to feed his red stones, a mere human wasn't worth the trouble it took to eat one.

Envy wiped his forefoot fastidiously in a clump of grass, and took to the sky. The sun was sinking rapidly in the west, but he wasn't overly concerned. Homunculi had excellent night vision, whatever shape they took.

Envy flew silently through the orange-stained sky, following the rutted dirt road that led north. His eyes strained in the twilight to catch sight of any figures along the road, or any spot of firelight through the trees below.

He found them just about where he expected a half-day's walk to end up.

Circling silently overhead he studied the group. No little girl and no little imp, but several adult humans.

And one silver-haired--_ah, that fucking miserable monk!_

It wasn't him.

The exhausted-looking kid slumped against a tree bore only the most superficial resemblance to the proud, powerful taiyoukai that Naraku had showed Envy in his magic mirror.

And the silver-haired kid wasn't even a full youkai. Envy had seen enough hanyou during his time here to recognize one of the pathetic creatures when he saw one. His soul would be _useless_.

There was nothing for Envy here.

Then, in the next instant, he caught sight of two other humans, coming into the clearing.

Some human girl and...and...

Was that really _Alphonse-fucking-Elric_, both hands occupied with lugging a full bucket of water?

Envy hung in the air for a second, gaping. _How did he get here...?_

Didn't matter. Because if Alphonse Elric was here, then the Fullmetal Shrimp couldn't be far away.

With a triumphant scream, Envy folded his wings and dove, deadly claws extended.

Canon and Story Notes

All hail Wikipedia for a succinct explanation of the physics behind flames, fuel-air ratios, and combustion. I'm not a chemist or physicist, so any errors in extracting the pertinent info for Ed's explanation of fire alchemy are mine alone.

Thanks, **kokoronagomu,** for serving as my beta reader!


	24. Casualties and Prisoners

12

_Musashi's Domain, 16th-century Japan_

"—don't think so, Al-kun." Kagome was back, her long legs gilded by firelight as she emerged from the trees on the far side of their campsite.

"Please, won't you consider it?" begged the too-tall bastard at her side, making puppy eyes at her. "What can I do to convince you, Kagome-ch—I mean, Kagome-san?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry." Her glance flicked over to where Inuyasha was sitting, and he saw mingled guilt and concern in her eyes. "Besides, even if I wanted to, where would we go?"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. At least Alphonse was making himself useful, lugging the full bucket.

But did he have to stand so close to Kagome? And what, exactly, was he trying to convince her to do?

Kagome was still speaking. "I mean, there aren't any cafes in this time--"

Then Inuyasha's head snapped up as a wave of a musky, all-too-familiar reek washed over him.

Despite his crushing fatigue, he found himself instantly on his feet, and running towards Kagome. "Oi! Drago-"

Then something very large and very heavy crashed into him, sending him flying into the shadows beyond the firelight.

Inuyasha landed on his ass with an undignified thump, the force of the blow sending him tumbling along the ground in a welter of decaying leaves and pine needles until he fetched up, hard, against the side of a boulder.

He managed to hang on to Tetsusaiga, just barely, then lay curled on the ground for far too long, trying just to breathe around the shock of pain in his middle.

Not as bad as Sesshoumaru's hand plunging into his gut, and leaving behind a liberal smear of burning poison, but bad enough.

Inuyasha gasped and retched, damning his weakness. If he had been at his full strength, the blow wouldn't have done more than put a few grass stains on his clothes. Now it felt like he'd never be able to draw a full breath again, and had a couple of his ribs actually cracked? _Fuck._

Still wheezing, he clawed himself up to hands and knees. _Dragon. Danger! __Gotta get up. Gotta--_

The smell of blood--Alphonse's, not Kagome--hit him, and he was up and running before he realized that he could even stand.

_Gotta save Kagome!_

He skidded into the middle of the conflict. The shimmering, pale-green coils of the dragon had scattered the fire and sent sleeping bags, bits of equipment, and shiny food-cylinders flying in all directions, but all of his friends were still on their feet and doing their best to defend themselves against the huge beast.

Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Kagome accounted for, Inuyasha looked around for the newcomers to the group. Souta was backed against the trunk of a tree, wide-eyed and reeking of terror, but unharmed. Ed was still gone.

And Alphonse--

Edward's brother lay sprawled on one side of the clearing, dark stains soaking his clothing over his chest and belly. The breeze shifted, and Inuyasha could smell Alphonse's blood thick in the air.

As Inuyasha spotted him, Kagome ran to stand protectively over Alphonse. With a smooth motion she drew her bow, arrow nocked and blazing with spiritual energy, taking aim at the huge, writhing coils.

_Kagome, no!_ Inuyasha didn't dare shout the warning, lest the dragon be alerted to its danger.

She released the arrow, and it sped, blazing, towards its goal.

And skittered off the scaly hide, the fires of purification sputtering out as the arrow fell to the ground.

"You bitch!" snarled the dragon, his head whipping around to glare at Kagome.

Inuyasha, in one of those frozen moments of clarity that preceded disaster, noticed he spoke Japanese with the same accent as Edward and Alphonse.

Then the dragon's forefoot, his claws already stained dark with Alphonse's blood, shot out, reaching for Kagome.

Inuyasha gave a wordless howl and threw himself forward. He drew Tetsusaiga--t_ransform, damn you!_--and swung the blade against the dragon's wrist with all his might.

Tetsusaiga, still uselessly rusty and blunted, left no mark on those pale-green scales, but the force of Inuyasha's blow was enough to knock aside those deadly, scimitar-shaped claws.

Instead of disemboweling Kagome, one claw tore down the front of her blouse, shredding it and leaving a long, ugly cut from collarbone to hip.

She stumbled back with a cry, and Inuyasha saw the brief sparkle of her necklace as the chain broke and the container went flying into the darkness.

"You little half-breed shit!" snarled the dragon, his head whipping around to glare at Inuyasha.

He brought his foreleg up again for another scything blow.

He was too close for Inuyasha to dodge. But at least Kagome was out of range for now.

The scent of her blood tormented his senses, reminding him that he had been too slow, too weak to completely protect her.

Inuyasha brought his sword up, feeling the hilt thrum uselessly in his hands.

_Still too fucking weak to wield my own sword_, he thought, bracing himself for the impact of those wicked claws.

"HIRAIKOTSU!" Sango's voice shouted out from behind him, and Inuyasha heard the deep whoosh of her giant bone boomerang, and felt the wind of its passing.

Her aim was good--Hiraikotsu hit the dragon's jaw with a heavy thud, sending the beast staggering. The foreleg came down with a thump, its deadly swing aborted, and Inuyasha raised his sword, looking frantically for any vulnerable spot. Maybe the eye...?

Miroku appeared on the dragon's other side, his metal-headed staff jingling as it swept down in a mighty right-handed blow, _ofuda_ fanned between the fingers of his left hand. He hit the dragon in the elbow of the nearest foreleg, probably hoping to strike a nerve, and swooped in close enough to paste the youkai-repellent charms against a patch of that scaled, invulnerable hide.

The charms flared briefly, then sputtered out and floated to the ground. Just like Kagome's arrow had.

Inuyasha blinked in appalled astonishment. _This thing ain't a real dragon. It's not even a youkai. How do we take it down?_

ooOoo

_Thump. _

Envy blinked as the giant boomerang hit him again. Its honed edge couldn't penetrate his scales, but it was heavy enough to be...annoying. He whipped his head around, but the wielder, a slender Japanese girl dressed in close-fitting leathers, was standing outside his reach.

Behind her, looking satisfyingly terrified and just as frantic and disheveled as the last time Envy had seen him, cowered Souta Higurashi.

_What the hell was the priest doing here?_

The Fullmetal Shrimp wasn't anywhere to be seen, but Envy was reasonably satisfied nonetheless. Feeling the flesh of Hohenheim's youngest son rend beneath his claws had filled Envy with triumph.

And even if he couldn't kill Edward Elric at this moment, he knew how close the brothers were. Maybe it would be even more painful for the older brother to see his younger brother's shredded corpse.

Another uselessly glowing arrow sailed out of the darkness, hitting him on the breastbone, near where the jewel was embedded.

Envy felt only a tap as the arrow bounced off his tough hide, but the Jewel...

The Jewel screamed, its myriad of voices blending into a deafening chorus of terror and anger. Then it flared briefly, sending a shock down all of Envy's nerves.

Startled, he looked down, and saw that the dark tint had faded noticeably.

_Kill her! Kill that girl! She's dangerous! _the voices shrieked.

_Oh yeah?_ Envy looked around, and located her, standing over Alphonse's body. She was young, dressed in a priestess's garb, and her blood-stained blouse hung open to reveal pale flesh and the dark, ragged line of a wound where she had dodged his earlier attempt to kill her.

As he watched, she drew another arrow from the quiver slung over her left shoulder and took aim.

The Jewel screamed again, and Envy felt it trying to seize control of his body.

_Not this time, you fucking piece of junk_, he thought, managing to push back the invisible hands that were trying to seize his limbs and manipulate them.

The jewel felt...weakened...somehow, the youkai souls that powered it thrown into a chaos of terror and confusion, unable to marshal their usual overwhelming strength to impose their will upon him.

_Very interesting._ Envy watched calmly as another arrow headed his way.

He ignored the feeble attacks of the half-breed and his human friends, and focused his attention to the jewel's reaction.

The arrow struck him, and again bounced away. The jewel gave another wordless shriek, and produced another flare of energy that made the dark tint fade even further.

Yeah, whatever that girl was doing, it was definitely weakening the Jewel's independent streak. Its power still throbbed, undiminished, but its malign will was fading.

Another annoying thump from the giant boomerang reminded him that his work here was nearly done. With Alphonse Elric down and busily bleeding out, and no sign of the Fullmetal Shrimp, it was time to go. Envy had a taiyoukai to find and a soul to collect, after all.

He unfolded his wings, and crouched, preparatory to launching himself into flight.

_But that girl..._Envy hesitated. Whatever it was that she was doing to the jewel, it made her worth having. She had power.

Why not take her with him—_a nice little souvenir_--and make her tell him how to control the jewel instead of having it control him?

He uncoiled, reaching the girl in a breath, and closed his forefoot around her waist. She was spunkier than he expected—she screamed of course, but then reached into her quiver, tried to stab him with one of her glowing arrows.

It broke in half from the force of her downward thrust, and he laughed.

She was going to be fun, he could tell already.

Then he leapt upwards, his wings giving a powerful downstroke.

The half-breed's howl of rage and despair followed him up into the night sky.

ooOoo

Ed had wandered quite some distance from camp, the shadows under the trees growing more impenetrable, trying to quell the sick dread that had filled him when he saw how his brother looked at Kagome.

And how Inuyasha had been looking at Alphonse.

The hanyou's expression hadn't been angry, Ed decided, but rather, an emotion that Ed knew all-too-well: hopelessness and despair.

Inuyasha could be a real asshole when he put his mind to it, but the past week had shown Ed that he was also courageous and utterly loyal to his friends. And that he had given himself to Kagome, body and soul.

And then there was Kagome. It was obvious that she liked Al, with that shy, uncomfortable reserve that spoke of unacknowledged attraction. But then there was the steadfast devotion with which Kagome had nursed Inuyasha in his post-transmutation weakened state. Maybe she thought of the hanyou as just a good friend, but maybe there was more.

Ed ran a hand through his tangled bangs with a snort of frustration, and paused to pick out a twig or two that had gotten tangled in the long strands. These Japanese people were just so damned undemonstrative, it was hard to tell what they were feeling. Hell, he would have never guessed Sango and Miroku to be an engaged couple!

What a mess.

_Damn. Damn. Damn! _

In the years since their mother's death, he and Alphonse had sacrificed so much for each other. Hell, the reason they were tromping around medieval Japan was because Alphonse wanted to go home.

_Had_ wanted to go home. Ed didn't know what his brother wanted, now.

Alphonse had _said_ he wouldn't leave Ed behind, but surely, he wouldn't want or need a third wheel in his relationship.

Would Al really be willing to give up the hope of going home, to a place where he could once more practice alchemy? For a _girl?_ For Kagome?

And what would happen if she really did choose Alphonse over Inuyasha?

Ed honestly didn't know. And the uncertainty was making him irritable.

A series of sounds, coming from the direction of the camp a quarter-mile away, broke into his gloomy train of thought.

"Alphonse-kun!" That shout was Kagome's voice, rough with fear.

Her tone sent Ed charging back in the direction he had come from, stumbling over rocks and branches only half-illuminated by the weak, bouncing beam of his flashlight.

As he drew closer to the camp, sounds of a violent struggle, punctuated by Inuyasha's loud cursing, mingled with shouts from Miroku and Sango, gave wings to Ed's feet.

"Kagome!" roared Inuyasha. "Give her back, you bastard!"

There was a dark chuckle, and then silence.

_What the hell was happening? _

Ed ran faster.

**Author's Note**

Thanks to my lovely beta-reader, **kokoronagomu**!


	25. Sacrifice

22

_Musashi's Domain, 16th-century Japan_

Edward emerged, panting, into the clearing that had once held their camp, to find the fire scattered into smoldering chunks of wood scattered around the dirt, great gouges torn in the grass, and their gear scattered as if a giant wave had swept it away.

Inuyasha was standing in the middle of the clearing, a battered-looking katana in his right hand. He was peering skyward and paid no attention to Edward's arrival.

"Sango! Kirara!" he yelled, hoarsely. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

Then the beam of Ed's flashlight touched a figure sprawled amidst the crushed grass, light gleaming off short, golden hair--and he suddenly couldn't breathe.

"Al!" Ed flung himself down on his knees at his brother's side.

_Too much blood!_ _This is bad. This is really, really bad_. He rolled his brother over onto his back, feeling the shirt clammy and sticky with blood under the palm of his flesh hand, and fumbled frantically at stubborn buttons. _Where's he bleeding from? How do I stop it?_

Ed wasn't aware that he was speaking aloud, until a hand dropped on his shoulder.

It was Miroku, looking considerably the worse for wear, his long robes torn, and his face bruised.

"Let me see," he said, with gentle firmness, and pried Ed's hands away from the fabric of Al's shirt.

Ed heard Miroku inhale sharply as he saw the deep wounds marring Al's pale, muscled chest and torso. A second later, the monk had composed his features.

"Edward-sama, there are bandages and a medical kit in Kagome-sama's backpack," he said, giving Ed a small shove in the proper direction. "Bring them."

Ed scrambled for the heap of backpacks, which had been scattered under the trees, trying frantically to remember which one was Kagome's. _Gotta hurry--gotta stop the bleeding--_

He unbuckled the flap of the nearest bag, and began digging through the contents with reckless abandon, pulling out clean shirts and underwear. This one belonged to Al. No medical kit.

He pushed away the pack impatiently, and turned to open the next one.

The third try was the lucky one. Medicine box in one hand, and several crinkling packages of large gauze pads in the other, Ed turned back to where Miroku was kneeling over his brother.

With a whoosh of flame, a giant cat landed in the clearing, blocking his return. Ed tensed, ready to fight off another attack.

Then he saw Sango, dressed in dark leathers, her giant boomerang slung over her back, slide off the cat's back just as it stumbled forward and collapsed, its shoulder and neck bleeding from three long gouges.

With another whoosh of flame, the giant cat shrank in on itself, and transformed back into the small, two-tailed kitten that was Sango's pet. _Holy crap. What kind of a youkai was that? _

"We lost him," Sango said, wearily, her shoulders drooping. "He doubled back and attacked us--I couldn't use Hiraikotsu, because the dragon had Kagome-chan in his grasp, and I was afraid of hurting her. Then, Kirara got hurt, and we had to return--" She scooped up the kitten and cradled it protectively to her chest.

"Was Kagome okay?" Inuyasha demanded.

Sango nodded, and the hanyou finally sheathed his sword.

Ed shouldered past them, and dropped the packets of bandages in Miroku's lap. He knelt at Al's side, and opened Kagome's medicine box, examining each packet and bottle by the light of his flashlight.

_Fuck. No suture kit._ But the antiseptic would come in handy...and that bottle contained pills for pain and inflammation...

He scooped out the two bottles and looked over at Miroku. The monk was holding two of the gauze pads against the deepest wounds.

At Ed's gesture, he shook his head. "I'm truly sorry, Edward-sama. But injuries of this magnitude...there isn't much we can--"

"No!" Ed interrupted with quiet force. He stared, horrified, at the uneven rise and fall of his brother's chest under the steady pressure of Miroku's hands. The gauze was already soaked through with blood.

Miroku just looked at him, his keen, intelligent features softened now by sorrowful compassion. "It's only a matter of time. If there are any prayers--"

"No," Ed said again, with greater force. "I won't accept this--I _can't_. I'll save him. I can do it," he said, his voice dropping down to a ragged whisper.

He raised his head, and looked straight at Inuyasha. "I can save Al--with alchemy."

ooOoo

"Please," said Edward.

Inuyasha looked away from the starry sky, startled out of his brooding, and found the blond sorcerer standing in front of him.

Edward's face was ravaged by grief, and his eyes burned with a desperate energy that Inuyasha recognized. "Please, Inuyasha. Help me save Al. My brother's..."

He looked away, and Inuyasha could smell Ed's rage and terror, overlaid with the heavy, rusty scent of Alphonse's blood.

"What do you want me to do?" Inuyasha asked, though he already had an inkling.

Edward spread his hands in appeal. "I have to--I mean, the only way to help him is alchemy. Medical alchemy."

The word _alchemy_ hung between them, with all its terrible consequences.

"I wouldn't ask if he wasn't--Miroku says that Al won't--" Edward said, hoarsely. "It's the only thing I can do for him. So...please."

Inuyasha looked away, a little repulsed by the raw need in Edward's voice. He hadn't been able to transform Tetsusaiga just now, but he was definitely getting stronger.

If he refused Edward's plea, Inuyasha knew he would be back to normal by morning.

But if he agreed to let Edward draw on his strength for his spell, then he'd be too weak to go after Envy and save Kagome.

And yet, how could he refuse to help, when a life hung in the balance? Even if it was a rival's life...

"That dragon hurt Kagome," Inuyasha said, the taste of failure like bitter steel in his mouth. "He hurt her, and took her with him, and I couldn't fucking protect her!" He looked over to where Miroku was crouched over Alphonse's bleeding body. "I couldn't protect _anyone."_

"It's not your fault," Edward protested. "It's _mine._ If Alphonse and I hadn't been with you, then Envy might not have attacked. And if we hadn't closed the well, then you wouldn't have been--uh, at such a disadvantage."

"Okay, I'll do it," Inuyasha heard himself say, and stopped in horror.

Fuck, had he really just _volunteered?_ Ed's sorcery had nearly killed him last time, and for what? It had been Alphonse who had managed to open the well, and to bring himself and his companions through.

_Alphonse._ Who lay dying, only a few lengths away.

Alphonse, who wanted Kagome for himself.

Alphonse, who was Inuyasha's rival.

And who might possibly be the only person who could defeat the dragon and rescue Kagome.

Inuyasha dropped his gaze to his hands once more--his useless hands, soft, clawless, unable to wield his sword--and shuddered, feeling gooseflesh crawl from his chest down his arms and knees as he recalled the coldness and violation of powering a transmutation.

But it would be worth it, if only to make sure that Kagome was safe.

"Thank y--" Ed began, his expression blazing with fierce triumph.

"But there's--" _A price._ But that didn't sound right. Inuyasha stopped, and started again. "I want a favor in return. You have to save Kagome. And get the jewel away from that dragon." _Because I'll likely be dead._

Inuyasha saw understanding dawn in Edward's eyes. "Equivalent exchange," he said, solemnly, holding out his gloved hand.

Inuyasha reached out, hesitantly--_is it going to happen now? Doesn't he need to draw one of those circular spells first?--_and felt hard metal surround his fingers.

"I swear I will do everything in my power to rescue Kagome and retrieve the jewel," Edward said with conviction. He squeezed lightly, and released his grip.

Inuyasha gave a sharp nod. "Then do it. Save your brother." He clenched his jaw, and fought down the twisting of his gut, trying to hide his shameful terror at being asked to go through _that_ again. "Do it now. There's no fucking time to waste."

Canon and Historical Notes

Though my crossover is primarily based on the _Fullmetal Alchemist _anime-verse, I found the concept and practice of medical alchemy from the FMA manga, specifically Chapter 77, too good to pass up.

All hail the wonderful **kokoronagomu**, beta reader extraordinaire!


	26. Souta's Solution

Chapter 13 - Shikon no Tama

_Musashi's Domain, 16th-century Japan_

Ed made his preparations in frantic haste, all-too-aware of Alphonse's motionless body stretched on the grass, the bandages around his chest and torso already dark with blood.

He located the bag of powdered chalk, and poured carefully, creating a transmutation circle with Al in the center. He had never attempted medical alchemy before, but thanks to his studies years earlier in preparation for trying to bring his mother back from the dead, he knew human anatomy inside and out.

Examining Al's injuries for himself, while trying to tamp down his growing panic, he thought he knew exactly what needed to be done. Al's superior epigastric artery had been severed, the rectus abdominal muscles and the externalabdominal oblique muscle needed major repairs**, **and Ed strongly suspected that the wall of Al's stomach had been nicked.

If they had been at home, Ed would have already finished healing his brother, using only a clap of his hands. But here, constrained by the need to draw energy from an external source, he was forced to trace out the painstaking arcs and symbols that would direct the energy of the transmutation into the proper channels.

Miroku had rekindled the fire, using some of the glowing embers that had survived Envy's attack, and he was sitting next to Inuyasha, speaking earnestly to the hanyou in a voice too low for Ed to overhear.

Inuyasha didn't reply. He was staring fixedly at the flames, hands tucked into his sleeves, his expression sullen.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ed saw Miroku scowl. "...might kill you!" the monk's voice rose as he thumped Inuyasha's shoulder in evident frustration.

"...don't care...promised...rescue Kagome...useless anyway." Inuyasha's low reply was almost lost in the rustle of the wind through the trees overhead.

_Great, that's all I need,_ thought Ed, with a panicked glance in Al's direction. What if Miroku managed to talk Inuyasha out of helping?

"It won't kill him," Ed said, loudly, and Miroku's head whipped around. "He's only half-demon, right? And the transmutation only seems to use his demonic energy."

It made perfect sense to him. Inuyasha would be weakened like before, but it wouldn't do lasting harm.

Hopefully.

"Even so, what," Miroku replied, slowly, each word bitten off with angry precision, "do you propose to do with Inuyasha once he's helpless and human? Leave him behind while he's unconscious? You _do_ remember what happened the last time you tried this? What if--"

"Miroku, shut the fuck up," Inuyasha interrupted, his voice weary. "I'm gonna do this, and that's final. And Kagome's gonna need your help, afterwards. Okay?"

That put an end to the conversation, though Miroku didn't move from his place at Inuyasha's side.

Sango was kneeling on the other side of the fire, busily salving and bandaging the wounds of her youkai cat. Beyond the orange circle of firelight, Souta Higurashi was searching for something on hands and knees, the beam of his flashlight wavering and bouncing off the ground and the trunks of nearby trees.

Ed forced himself to ignore everything but the task in front of him. The transmutation circle had to be perfect. He had to get it right the first time...even if Al managed to hang on, Inuyasha was already weakened by the attempts to open the well. There wouldn't be any of his energy to spare for a re-do.

Hopefully, there would enough energy to heal Al.

Finally, he was done. Ed sat back on his heels, putting the nearly-empty bag of chalk aside.

"Inuyasha?"

The hanyou straightened up, and got to his feet, followed by Miroku. He said something to the monk, of which Ed only caught the word, "Kagome."

"Okay," Ed said, as Inuyasha approached. "You need to kneel there--careful, don't mess up the chalk!" he added, sharply.

Miroku stood behind Inuyasha, his expression unhappy. Ed felt the weight of the monk's disapproval, and felt compelling to add: "And, uh, Inuyasha--thank you."

"Not doing it for you," the hanyou mumbled, not meeting Ed's gaze.

"I know," Ed said, quietly. "But you're still helping Al. I won't forget that."

Inuyasha's golden eyes rose to his. "You'd better not."

"Equivalent exchange." Ed nodded. "And I'm sure your friends--" his gaze flicked up at Miroku's silently glowering figure, "--won't let me forget, either."

He cleared his throat. "Okay, just like last time, put your hands here--" he pointed at the section of the circle that would draw energy, "--and don't move them until I'm done."

Inuyasha nodded grimly, and stretched out his hands.

"Wait!" shouted Souta, running towards the circle. "Wait--don't do anything!"

Both Ed and Inuyasha turned to glare at the interruption.

"Wait!" Souta said again, skidding to a breathless halt just short of the transmutation circle. His carefully slicked-back hair was disheveled, and several strands had fallen over his forehead, making him look more like Roy Mustang than ever. "I found Kagome-chan's jewel shards!"

He held up the tiny glass container, the ends of the broken chain dangling between his fingers.

_What the hell--?_ Ed blinked, annoyed, and then his brain caught up.

Kagome had used the shards earlier to power Al's fire alchemy transmutation, and hadn't Al mentioned that Kagome had been instrumental in reopening the well, too?

But Kagome wasn't here now. Ed took a deep breath. "That's great, Professor Higurashi," he said. "But how are we supposed to use them without Kagome?"

Souta looked uncertain, then his expression firmed. "I'll use them. I think I know how Kagome-chan managed it, and I have some spiritual powers of my own. If not, then perhaps Miroku-sama could find a way...?"

Miroku nodded, his scowl melting away. "If we can use the jewel instead of Inuyasha--"

"HEY!" Inuyasha protested.

Miroku looked down, and whacked Inuyasha lightly across the back of his head. "Idiot. Don't you want to go rescue Kagome yourself, instead of relying on strangers to do it?"

Inuyasha rubbed the place where Miroku had hit him. "Well, if you put it that way," he grumbled, and sat back on his heels, wiping his chalk-covered palms against his baggy hakama, leaving long white streaks on the red fabric. "But I promised to help."

"Don't worry about it," Ed assured him. "If we can't find a way to use the bits of jewel, we can still use you."

He turned to Souta, who was hovering uncertainly. "Professor, if you would exchange places with Inuyasha...? And put the vial down there...?" he pointed at a slightly smeared section of the transmutation circle. "Good. Now put your hands where Inuyasha put them."

Souta obeyed, then looked up at Miroku, frowning. "Miroku-sama, can you advise me? How do I draw the energy out of the jewel?"

It took a bit of trial-and-error, with Ed trying vainly to rein in his impatience. But it was impossible, with Al right there, bleeding to death while Souta and Miroku argued over the fine points of _houriki_-wielding technique.

Inuyasha was of the same opinion, it seemed.

"Will you fucking get on with it?" he growled after a few minutes, and Ed nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Oh--ah, sorry!" Souta bobbed in an awkward bow, and put his hands down again. Closing his eyes, he concentrated.

And the jewel shards...

...began to glow.

The glow spread steadily along the lines of the transmutation circle.

Ed waited a few seconds to see if the transmutation was showing any signs of guttering out, then whooped. "All right, Professor! Now just keep it up..."

It was Ed's turn to close his eyes and concentrate. Picturing every strand of abdominal muscle, and the fine network of veins and arteries that ran through the human torso, he slammed his hands down on the array, and directed the flow energy into the motionless body of his little brother.

Al sat bolt-upright and screamed as the transmutation began its work, rose-colored light writhing around him, but Ed managed to hang on his concentration, just barely, and kept visualizing the repairs that needed to be made.

The jewel's energy felt different from the energy of a normal transmutation, but it seemed to be working, so Ed kept going.

_Just a little more...and fix that one puncture there...and..._

"Done!" He exhaled, opened his eyes, and studied his brother anxiously.

Al was curled into a fetal position, knees drawn up to his chest.

"Al?" Ed approached cautiously, and put a hand on his brother's shoulder preparatory to rolling on his back and checking his injuries.

One hazel eye opened, and looked up at Ed. "Brother, that _hurt,"_ Al said accusingly.

Relief and exhaustion warred within Ed, and he didn't try to fight the upwelling of slightly hysterical laughter.

"Brother, what happened?" Al asked, bewildered. "I remember..." he frowned. "The dragon. Envy. He found us! He was here! He--I didn't dodge fast enough. Our teacher would beat me senseless if she knew how clumsy--"

Still sputtering, Ed reached down and tore away the sodden bandage taped over Al's stomach.

Al yelped as the adhesive gave way, but Ed ignored him, running anxious fingers down the blood-stained skin. The wounds had closed, showing only thin pink lines.

"You're okay," he told his brother. "You're gonna be okay."

Al took a deep breath, and examined the wounds himself, prodding cautiously. When he had finished, he looked around, taking in the tumbled pots and packs, and the scattered contents of the medical kit.

"Where's Kagome?" he asked.

Canon and Historical Notes

Though my crossover is primarily based on the _Fullmetal Alchemist _anime-verse, I found the concept and practice of medical alchemy from the FMA manga, specifically Chapter 77, too good to pass up.

All hail the wonderful **kokoronagomu**, beta reader extraordinaire!


	27. Of Alchemy and Astrophysics

14

_On the road to Kasama, 16th-century Japan_

Souta Higurashi was filthy, bruised, and exhausted by the several hours of brisk walking that had preceded the dragon's attack.

He sat quietly next to the rekindled fire, eating a tasteless mess of rice and barley mixed with canned fish, listening to his companions--who, he knew, barely tolerated his useless presence amongst them--bicker about what to do next.

Gloomily, he contemplated his situation. All his life, people had admired him for his intelligence, his status as not only one of the youngest professors at the Imperial University, but also as head priest at the Sunset Shrine. But here, it was easy for Kagome's friends to ignore him, not out of malice, but because without any special skills to offer their quest, he simply did not attract notice.

_Am I a burden? Am I useless?_ Souta stabbed his chopsticks angrily into a clump of fish, and watched bits of food fly out of the bowl. Perhaps he _should_ have stayed behind in the village!

Inuyasha had already finished his bowl of reheated army rations, having eschewed chopsticks to use his fingers to scoop up mounds of the food and shove them into his mouth.

Wiping his hands on his baggy scarlet hakama, the hanyou youth glared around the circle of his remaining companions. Only Ed was anywhere near finishing his meal, having also surrendered his struggle with the chopsticks to follow Inuyasha's example of using fingers.

After a moment of impatiently drumming his fingers and fidgeting, Inuyasha burst out: "Hurry up and eat, willya! Or we'll never catch up to that bastard dragon!"

Souta blinked in dismay. The dragon had easily fought them all off, and now they were going to hare after it, in the dark, across an unfamiliar landscape?

It had flown away. It could be on the other side of the mountains by now!

But he kept silent, unwilling to express his reluctance. Of course he should be eager to help rescue Kagome-chan, who had fought so bravely to protect Alphonse-kun!

But how could they possibly prevail against a beast so well-armored that arrows and swords could not even scratch its scales? Even the wicked-looking harpoon that Edward had brought wouldn't be of much use...

"Inuyasha, we should wait until tomorrow before beginning our pursuit," Miroku said, and Souta felt a surge of shameful relief at the monk's words.

"...the hell?" Inuyasha gaped at his friend, clearly taken aback. "But that bastard's got Kagome! Who knows what he'll do to her!"

Miroku turned to Sango. "Was Kagome-sama injured when you pursued her?"

Sango shook her head. "The dragon seemed to be holding her very carefully, houshi-sama." She paused, and then continued: "Dragons aren't known for their patience. If it had wanted to devour her, it wouldn't have waited. I think it has something else in mind, something that requires Kagome-chan to remain alive and uninjured."

"We can't leave Al behind, and he needs food and rest before we go anywhere," Edward added.

"I'm fine, Brother!" Al protested. "Inuyasha-san is right--we can't let Envy get too far ahead of us. I don't know what he wants with Kagome, but it can't be good, whatever it is."

"Yeah," Inuyasha added, locking gazes with his rival.

"No," said Miroku and Sango, in unison.

"Kirara is injured, too, and how are we going to pursue a flying dragon without her help?" Sango continued. She put aside her half-finished bowl of food, and stroked her injured fire-cat gently, scratching a gentle finger behind the black-tipped ears. "She will be fully recovered by morning...and so will you, Inuyasha."

The hanyou scowled, and tucked his hands into his sleeves. "I'm fine--I can track that bastard by the stink he's leaving behind."

"And what of Tetsusaiga?" inquired Miroku. "I noticed that it did not transform earlier. Inuyasha, Alphonse-sama, this dragon is a formidable enemy. It will do Kagome no good if we attack it at less than our full strength, and are defeated, or even killed."

Inuyasha hunched his shoulders, his scowl deepening, but he didn't argue further. Alphonse looked like he was ready to speak, but a sharp poke by Edward made him yelp, then follow his brother into the shadows beyond the firelight.

A moment later, Souta heard the sound of their voices begin, speaking what he recognized as German, though at first, they spoke too quietly for him to make out their actual words.

It didn't take long before the normally soft-spoken Alphonse was easily matching his older brother's volume.

"...don't care about her, do you...? You'd be _glad_ if she--"

"Al, I care, you _know_ I care, but you nearly _died!_...blood loss! ...need to sleep..."

More shouting followed, but the brothers had shifted languages again, and Souta no longer understood what they were saying. Finally, both of them came stomping back, faces flushed with emotion even in the uncertain firelight.

"Al's agreed to wait until morning. And to get some sleep," Edward announced.

Alphonse, his characteristic good-natured expression gone for once, pressed his lips together and threw a resentful glance in Edward's direction, but uttered no further protests.

Everyone, Souta included, looked at Inuyasha expectantly.

Inuyasha glared back for a long moment, his chin set mutinously, then yielded.

"Okay, I'll wait. But only until dawn," he warned. "And only because the damned jewel seems to have toughened up that dragon, and I'll need the transformed Tetsusaiga to defeat it. I could have easily crushed one of its scales with my bare hands, before."

Alphonse looked surprised. "Have you encountered Envy--uh, this dragon before, Inuyasha-san?"

"Kinda," Inuyasha answered. "The shrine in Kagome's time still had a couple of its scales in its storerooms, and they had seemed awfully fragile when Kagome's grandpa showed them off. He said that you-" and he directed his golden gaze at Souta with insulting disbelief, "bound the dragon with your spiritual powers."

"Er, not exactly," Souta murmured, stirring his food nervously. "The Tokkou used an opium compound of some kind to weaken the dragon, and anchor chains from a battleship to restrain it. As you saw earlier," he added, bitterly, "spiritual powers seem to be singularly ineffective against this particular dragon." A thought occurred to him. "Kagome's grandfather--would you happen to know his given name?"

Kagome had refused to tell him, on the grounds that she did not want to change her past and his future, but Souta had been consumed with curiosity as to which of his eight brothers had taken over the shrine.

Probably one of the younger ones, he thought. Takeshi, perhaps? Or perhaps Yoshi? Certainly not Ryuichi--the boy was highly intelligent, and loved hearing about the Sunset Shrine's history, but his spiritual powers were nearly nonexistent.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nope. He's just Grandpa Higurashi. Doesn't like me much, but he always puts me to work, anyway, whenever I visit Kagome's time."

Miroku rose, and began gathering up the bowls. "Now, let us sleep and we will begin our hunt for Kagome and Envy in the morning."

"Just wait," Inuyasha muttered, "and see how well that bastard holds out against a Kaze no Kizu."

Souta took the empty cooking pot from where it stood next to the fire, and followed Miroku to the nearby stream to rinse them off.

Sango was rebandaging Kirara's wounds, leaving Souta to perform what he thought of as women's work. But since Miroku seemed willing to do it, Souta didn't say anything.

At first, they worked side-by-side in silence, the icy water numbing Souta's fingers and making his knuckles ache.

Then Miroku spoke. "Souta-sama, are you well? The dragon didn't injure you? I noticed that you didn't speak, earlier."

"What would I have said?" Souta sighed, and met Miroku's compassionate gaze. "To wait? I'll be just as useless in the morning as I am now," he said bitterly, and turned his attention back to scrubbing bits of rice from the pot.

"_Are_ you useless, Souta-sama?" Miroku asked, softly.

"Of course I am!" Souta replied. "I'm no warrior. How can I possibly aid in this quest? I couldn't do anything to thwart Kagome-chan's kidnapping, I left my brothers behind, in the power of the Tokkou, because I was afraid to defy Ikeda-san, and now...I won't be able to do anything either if it comes to another fight against the dragon!"

He heard the despair in his own voice, nearly rising to a wail, and closed his teeth around further complaints.

"In my travels, I have found that nearly everyone has unexpected strengths," Miroku said. "Kagome-chan told us that you are a highly-respected man, a renowned scholar and priest, in her world. What subjects do you teach and study, Souta-sama?"

"I study the nature of matter, and how it works. In particular, I study the physical properties of the sun and the stars--their density, temperature, and chemical composition. And I lecture on these topics, and write papers presenting my theories for scholars all over the world to read and criticize."

"Ah." Miroku was silent for a long moment, seemingly absorbed in rinsing out the last of the bowls. Then he said, "It seems to me, from what Edward-sama says, that a fundamental understanding of physical properties is also essential to his kind of sorcery. And you have spiritual powers--have you considered learning this 'alchemy?' You may have a talent for it, and it would aid us greatly…"

"I--I had not considered it," Souta admitted, taken by surprise.

But Miroku's suggestion weighed on him as he finished cleaning the cooking pot in silence. He considered what Edward had told him of alchemy, and how the young man had insisted it was a science, not superstition or sorcery.

Would Edward or Alphonse be willing to teach him, if he approached them humbly and asked?

What if they refused him? It would be humiliating! He would lose face!

_But,_ he argued with himself, _I want to be useful, don't I?_

And there was another thing.

"Miroku-sama, I know spiritual powers are useless against the dragon, Envy, but perhaps against lesser youkai...?" Souta began, as he drained the pot, and rose to his feet.

"They are very effective against youkai," Miroku said, gravely, balancing a stack of bowls in one hand, and reaching for his ever-present metal-tipped staff with the other hand.

As the two men began walking back to the camp together, Souta continued, "I would be greatly indebted to you, if you would condescend to show me how you infuse objects, such as ofuda, with your spiritual power."

"Of course," Miroku said, nodding graciously. "I sense that you have significant powers, Souta-sama, though it seems that you are untutored in their use."

They entered the camp to find that Edward and Alphonse had set out everyone's bedrolls, and heaped extra wood on the fire to keep it going throughout the night.

"...and I'll stand watch, so you get some sleep," Edward was saying to Alphonse.

"But--" Alphonse began to protest, then he caught sight of Miroku and Souta.

"We'll stand watch in turns--those of us who are uninjured, that is," Miroku said sternly. He pointed at Inuyasha. "And that means you, too."

"There are enough of us to stand watch that we can all get some sleep," Sango added, as she tucked a corner of her bedroll around a tightly-curled Kirara.

Well, it was now or never. Souta quashed his pride with a firm hand, and walked over to where Edward and Alphonse were digging through their knapsacks.

"Edward-san, Alphonse-kun," he said, with a deep bow. "I humbly beg you to teach me alchemy, so that I may help rescue Kagome-chan from the dragon."

Edward looked taken aback for a brief moment, then he grinned. "Sure! I'll be happy to teach you...but," he added, his face falling. "Alchemy takes years to learn. Al and I were considered naturals at it, when we were kids, and we still had to study under our master for a long time before we qualified to take the State Alchemists' Examination."

"Oh," Souta said, dully. Wasn't there _any_ way he could make himself useful?

"I don't know about that, Brother," Alphonse said, unexpectedly. "After all, Professor Higurashi has a head start—he's already got a fundamental understanding of matter, which is one of the things that took us so long to learn. All he has to do is to learn is how to transmute it from one state to another."

"Oh yeah?" said a rough, hostile voice behind Souta. He jumped a little, and looked behind him to see Inuyasha glowering at them.

"…which he can, using Kagome-san's jewel shards," Alphonse added hastily, with an apologetic smile and hand gesture in Inuyasha's direction. "There's enough youki stored in them to power a thousand transmutations. I think."

"Keh. Just don't use them all up. We need them to make the jewel whole again," Inuyasha studied them, suspiciously, for a moment longer, then stomped away.

"Okay," Edward said eagerly, seating himself, cross-legged on his bedroll, and snatching up a twig. "Let's cover the basics of transmutation circles, first..."

**Author's Notes**

Thanks, as always, to my lovely beta, **kokoronagomu! **

The pace of posting chapters will slow down from this point on, I'm afraid. I have family visiting at the moment, which is restricting my computer time, plus we're nearing the end of the chapters I have completed, and I'll be writing the rest as I go along.


	28. Shards

26

_Kasama Castle, 16th-century Japan_

Kagome's initial terror at being snatched up and carried away by the dragon slowly began to fade as they flew through the dark skies, replaced by other sensations.

At first, she was all-too-aware of the burning pain that stretched in a line from her chest to her navel, where his claws had raked her.

_I really should put some disinfectant on that_, she thought, followed almost instantly by the realization that her first-aid kit lay miles away...back with her friends.

Was Alphonse going to be all right? What about Inuyasha? How would any of them find her?

Then, as more time passed, and they continued to fly, Kagome began to shiver as the cold night air bit through her torn clothing. She had stopped being quite so afraid when the dragon's hold proved to be firm but not painful, although now she couldn't stop shaking.

"Don't tell me you're quaking in terror," drawled the dragon, making her start a little in surprise. He chuckled unpleasantly above the rush of the wind. "I swear if you piss yourself I'm dropping you."

His grip loosened slightly, as if in demonstration, and Kagome instinctively grabbed at him.

"You were spunky enough back there, trying to shoot me with that toy bow of yours."

"I-I'm not scared," she forced out between her wildly chattering teeth. "J-just c-cold."

"What do you want me to do about it, little girl? Buy you a jacket?" the dragon asked derisively. "Stop whining. This won't kill you."

She wasn't whining! Kagome bit down on the retort that fought to escape her lips, and struggled to control her temper. The dragon had hurt Alphonse, and Kirara, too. Who knew what he might do to _her,_ if she made him angry?

Neither of them said anything for a long time, the silence broken only by the steady flap of the dragon's wings.

Kagome's shivering started to lessen, but now she couldn't feel her feet and hands any more, so this worried her.

"Er, Dragon-san?" Kagome said, finally, her lips numb and stiff.

"You can call me Envy, little girl," the dragon said.

"E-envy-s-san, why d-did you--I mean, w-where are we g-going?" She didn't quite dare to ask whether he was planning to eat her.

"You mean, why didn't I just kill you like I did the Elric brat?" the dragon asked.

_Alphonse is dead? No! He can't be! _

But there had been so much blood...

Kagome swallowed, hard. The dragon was lying to her. He had to be!

"Well, really I could have cared less about the rest of you, but you have an interesting effect on my jewel. So I'm taking you home with me. Call it a test...if you pass, you get to stay alive."

_A test...the Shikon no Tama...what on earth does he want me to do with it? _

Shortly after this, as Kagome was still trying to formulate a follow-up question that would neither reveal too much, nor anger him too much, the dragon began his descent.

They landed in the walled courtyard of a castle that boasted a five-story keep rising above the bailey in a series of graceful tile roofs. The courtyard was dimly illuminated with torches, flickering in the cold wind.

Envy released his grip, and Kagome stumbled forward, falling to her knees on the hard-packed dirt of the courtyard. All around her, she saw shadowy movements, and the tingle of unfamiliar youki against her senses made the place between her shoulder blades itch uneasily.

Youkai. The castle was teeming with them.

"Get up." A long, clawed toe nudged her.

Kagome tried to stand, but her legs felt like jelly.

She felt something hook on the collar of her blouse, and haul her upright. She swayed dangerously, but just barely managed to keep her balance.

She raised her head to find the dragon standing entirely too close for comfort to her, scales shimmering ruddy and bronze in the uncertain light of the torches.

"Now, make it shut up." The dragon tapped the base of his long, sinuous throat, and with a start, Kagome recognized the darkly glowing thing embedded in the scales there--the nearly-complete Shikon no Tama.

Involuntarily, she reached for the chain around her neck, and found it missing. _Oh, no!_ Her shards were gone, lost who-knows-where during the long flight. Or maybe lost even earlier, when she had been wounded and her clothing shredded.

"Well?" the dragon asked, impatiently.

"Oh! Sorry," Kagome said, automatically, and studied Envy's fragment.

_Make it shut up? What does he mean by that?_

It shone with the peculiar, shadowed quality of a tainted shard. Kagome frowned, and reached up slowly up for it. She wasn't sure what Envy wanted her to do, or why the Shikon no Tama might be talking to him, but it couldn't hurt to try purification, could it?

The tainted glow wavered and seemed to shrink as her fingertips neared it.

"It's scared of you," Envy noted. "Why?"

"I don't know," Kagome murmured, her attention on the jewel. She strained on tiptoes, unable to quite reach it, and Envy obligingly lowered himself.

She felt the familiar cool shock as she touched the polished surface of the fragment, and the odd tingling sensation of power running up through her fingers and wrist.

The surface of the jewel fragment seemed to ripple, and the shadow of the taint dispelled, leaving only a pure, rose-colored light behind.

"There," Kagome said, lowering her hand, and hoping desperately that this would please the dragon. "I've purified it."

The dragon's eyes closed briefly, and it tilted its head. "I can't hear it any more. Good. You get to live."

_Thank you_ seemed an absurd thing to say under the circumstances, so Kagome simply nodded politely, and stepped back.

The large, fanged head swung around, apparently surveying the audience of youkai watching them.

"Chouko," he commanded, and a tall, slender youkai woman stepped forward, bowing deeply.

Kagome noticed that instead of eyebrows, Chouko had delicate, feathery antennae sprouting from her forehead.

"Show my..._guest_...to her room." His tone was deeply ironic, and Kagome's heart sank.

"Yes, Envy-dono," Chouko said, bowing deeply. She turned to Kagome. "Please follow me."

Wondering what sort of dungeons this castle had, and afraid she would find out sooner than she liked, Kagome stumbled after the youkai woman.

ooOoo

The room she was shown was part of the keep. It was spartan, the walls a bumpy layer of white plaster over stone, but it was hardly a prison cell.

The door had a simple drop-bar lock...on the inside.

Kagome blinked at it, feeling slow and stupid with cold and fatigue. "I'm--I'm not a prisoner?"

Chouko gave a wheezy laugh.

"You'll need that lock more than Envy-dono will," she said. "You're not going anywhere--we're at the top of a mountain and this castle is full of youkai who like the taste of tender maiden flesh." She laughed again, and her feathery antennae quivered. "If you know what's good for you, human, you'll stay in your rooms, and go nowhere--not even to the latrines--without my escort."

She shoved Kagome forward, forcing her to stumble into the room. It was furnished with a futon, the mattress neatly folded in one corner and piled with a quilt; in the opposite corner a chamberpot; a candle inside a paper shade sitting on a short table in the middle of the room; and on the wall a few wooden pegs for clothing. There was also a polished metal bowl on a stand that Kagome recognized as a charcoal brazier, but it stood empty and cold despite the room's chill.

Behind her, Chouko clapped sharply, and issued orders for a basin of hot water and towels.

When it arrived, barely lukewarm and slopping over the edge to puddle on the wooden floor, Kagome was permitted to strip and wash up under Chouko's bored gaze.

She washed her face and hands, then sponged carefully at the scabbed length of the wound on her torso, relieved to see that it was shallow--if painful--and that it had stopped bleeding.

Her kimono blouse was stiff with bloodstains along the ragged edge of the tear that bisected it, and probably ruined, though.

When Chouko finally departed, taking the basin and towels with her, Kagome hurriedly unfolded the futon and crawled under the thin quilt, fully dressed again.

Shivering, she huddled there, trying to ignore the burning throb of her injury. Exhausted as she was, she was still too wound-up--and cold--to fall asleep immediately. Instead, her thoughts wandered in plodding circles.

Wasn't this her chance to reclaim the jewel, and to undo some of the harm she'd done by shattering it? But without any weapons, and held prisoner in a fortress swarming with youkai, how was she going to manage it…?

How would Inuyasha find her here? Traveling here by air meant that there would be no scent trail for him to follow.

And was Alphonse_ really _dead?

In the darkness, Kagome felt hot tears trickle over her cheeks and across her nose, and tried not to sniffle.

Alphonse was such a sweet boy, smart, polite, and brave. She knew she'd hurt him deeply by not returning his feelings, but was it her fault that he'd been killed?

She fell into an uneasy sleep at last, still cold, and very afraid.

ooOoo

Chouko delivered Kagome's breakfast the next morning, which consisted of a bowl of burned rice, watery miso soup, and tea so strong that she felt it pucker the inside of her cheeks and scrape down her throat. The youkai woman also informed Kagome that she was to attend Lord Envy as soon as she'd finished her breakfast.

Hungry and thirsty, Kagome choked down what she could manage of the poor meal. Then she followed her guard up several flights of steep wooden stairs to a large chamber overlooking a town in the valley below.

To her surprise, an androgynous-looking young man awaited her there, leaning casually against one of the plastered walls. Pale skinned, with long dark hair, he wore the rich robes and the swords of a daimyo, but he was clearly not Japanese. Then she saw his eyes, an unnatural dark purple with slit pupils like a cat's.

"Envy-san?" she asked, hesitantly.

Kagome had never heard of a dragon who was also a shapeshifter, but maybe dragons from Alphonse's world were different in that way.

He smirked at her, looking her up and down with insulting slowness. Kagome's cheeks burned, and she was suddenly all-too-aware of the gaps in her torn and blood-stained blouse. Lacking safety pins, she had wrapped and tucked the torn halves as best she could into her long red hakama, then tied the belt tightly to keep everything in place.

Then she caught sight of the jewel, half-buried in the flesh at the base of his throat. It was attached to a long silver chain that looped loosely around Envy's neck, and glowed malevolently against that pale skin, shadowed once again with the tinge of corruption.

Envy's first words to her confirmed it.

"The voices are back," he said, curtly. "Whatever you did yesterday, do it again."

Kagome reached out, intending to purify the jewel, then hesitated as an idea struck her.

"You know," she said, a hesitantly. "I think having it stuck to you like that is what's making the corruption--er, the voices--return. If you'll just let me remove it--"

Envy's face twisted in murderous rage, and she flinched as if he had burned her.

Then his expression smoothed out again, and he gave her a malicious smile. "Nice try, little girl," he said, "but I don't think so."

"But if you leave it, it'll just keep getting corrupted," Kagome protested, her heart still pounding.

That look on his face--she knew, without a doubt, that he might have torn her to pieces in that moment.

He raised a brow. "Then you'll just have to keep purifying it, won't you?" His smile deepened unpleasantly, showing far too many sharp teeth. "Think of it this way--the longer you stay useful to me, the longer I let you live." He seized her hand, his hard grip grinding her bones together painfully. "Now, hurry up and do whatever it is that you do. I haven't got all day."

Her heart sinking, Kagome obeyed. She _had_ to find a way to get hold of this jewel fragment, but how?

Historical and Canon Notes:

There really was a Kasama Castle, built on the top of Mt. Sashiro in the present-day prefecture of Ibaraki, north-east of Tokyo. The castle was demolished during the Meiji Restoration, and only a few ruined fortification walls remain today.

The honorific suffix "-dono" means lord. It is no longer a commonly-used form of address, similar to archaic English terms such as "milord" or the French "monseigneur".

Thanks, as always, to my lovely beta, **kokoronagomu! **


	29. An Unwelcome Visitor

28

_Musashi's Domain, 16th-century Japan_

When Inuyasha awoke the next morning, he knew instantly that his youki had fully renewed itself. The power that thrummed through him as he opened his eyes had never felt so sweet, not even on any of the dawns after his human night.

He leapt to his feet and stretched, feeling his joints pop and a long-unaccustomed surge of well-being in every muscle. His newly-returned claws gleamed in the half-light of dawn.

_I'm finally whole again,_ he thought bitterly, _only it's a day too late to save Kagome._

Why, _why_ hadn't his body healed itself in time to protect her?

He stomped away from the camp, suddenly unable to bear the sight of Edward and Alphonse. If it hadn't been for them, he wouldn't have been stripped of his powers at the worst possible time.

When Inuyasha had gone far enough away so that he wouldn't accidentally injure any of his companions, he stopped and cracked his knuckles.

_"Sankon tessou!"_ he yelled, and felt his youki obediently surge through his fingertips as he swiped at the nearest tree.

It went down in a shower of pine needles and splintered wood, the air filled with the sharp fragrance of fresh sap.

_That fucking dragon wiped the floor with me, like I was some wimpy human!_

Inuyasha took aim at the next tree. It exploded into leaves and shreds of bark, and the powerful aromatic scent of cedar clogged his nose, making him sneeze explosively.

Even the oh-so-powerful sorcerer Alphonse hadn't been able to fight against Envy. The dragon had taken _him_ out almost immediately.

_Crash!_ The second tree, this one a maple, toppled over, taking a couple of saplings with it.

Kagome had had to protect Alphonse's sorry ass, Inuyasha remembered. If she hadn't done that, then maybe the dragon wouldn't have--

_Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!_ Inuyasha continued to strike and lunge wildly for a while, taking down tree after tree, letting his anger run its course.

Somewhere along the line, he became aware that Edward and Alphonse had crept up on him, and were watching him.

Ha! As if they thought they could sneak up on _him,_ reeking as they were of steel and oil, stale campfire smoke, and the harsh, unnatural scent of the dyes used on their clothing.

But they were far enough away that he wasn't accidentally going to hurt them, so he decided to pretend he hadn't noticed them.

Time to show them that he was just as powerful as they were, but in his own way.

He destroyed one last pine with grim satisfaction, making sure that it splintered spectacularly, then drew Tetsusaiga. To his relief, the sword transformed immediately.

With an effortless leap, he sprang over to where Edward and Alphonse crouched behind a small outcropping of lichen-covered boulders.

They both had the grace to look startled and guilty as he glared down at them.

"Seen enough?" said Inuyasha, hefting Tetsusaiga triumphantly. "I'm gonna kick that dragon's ass and bring back Kagome."

ooOoo

To Inuyasha's intense frustration, things weren't quite that simple.

When he returned to their campsite, followed at a discreet distance by the sorcerer brothers, he found his desire to race ahead limited by the abilities of his companions.

Miroku and Sango could keep up with him if they rode on Kirara, as usual (the fire-cat having recovered from her wounds overnight), but it was clear that Edward, Alphonse, and Souta were going to slow everyone down.

"Then we're just gonna have to leave 'em behind," Inuyasha declared, his gaze resting on Alphonse, who had just staggered in on his brother's heels.

Just the short walk back to camp had left the tall young man obviously dizzy and sweating. Edward might have healed his brother's wounds, but Alphonse had lost a lot of blood the day before, and a single night's sleep wouldn't have been sufficient to heal a mere human.

"No way," countered Edward, putting hands on hips, and scowling belligerently. "That dragon is our ticket home. We're all going together."

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha sneered. "And how do you plan to stop me?"

Edward smirked. "I could transmute something small, using your youki. Just enough to slow you down a bit." He raised his hands, and mimed bringing them together in a clap. "Don't need a transmutation circle for that!"

_That bastard wouldn't dare!_ Trying to deny the thrill of fear that ran through him, Inuyasha stepped forward. "You even _try,_ and I'll rip your--"

"Inuyasha." Miroku interrupted, stepping between the two of them. He spread his hands. "Edward-sama. Before _either_ of you act hastily, you might want to hear what the villagers told Sango and me."

That got Inuyasha's attention.

Without a reliable scent trail to follow, he didn't have a chance in hell of finding Kagome and the dragon, unless someone had seen them, or knew where the dragon had his lair. So the monk and Sango had left camp just after dawn to visit a nearby village, hoping to gain some information.

"It's about the new _daimyo_ of Kasama Castle," Sango said. "Most of the human servants fled months ago, and some of them were from this village. They told us that the castle's new lord is a shape-changer. Sometimes he's human, a foreigner, and sometimes…

"--he's a fucking dragon," Inuyasha finished, triumphantly. "Well, what the hell are we waiting for?" He turned to go, tensing his muscles in preparation for his first great leap ahead. If he hurried, he could be at the castle gates by sunset.

"We also heard that he's gathered a host of youkai as his retainers and guards," Miroku added.

Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga, letting the sword's transformation speak for itself. "I'll blow them all away with _Kaze no Kizu._"

Miroku put a restraining hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "And what of Kagome-sama? If she's a prisoner in the castle, do you really want to bring the walls down around her ears? The same goes for those humans left in the castle."

"Fuck," muttered Inuyasha, his mind leaping ahead to the next possibility.

If Kagome was really being held prisoner amongst a horde of youkai, they would be out for blood, especially if that blood belonged to a powerful _miko_ who had purified plenty of their number.

Sango nodded. "We can't simply destroy the castle, so we will have to defeat the youkai individually, I think. And for that, all of us will need to fight."

Her gaze swept the group, and Inuyasha saw Souta shrink back a little, then square his shoulders and stand straight with an air of determination.

"Yeah, but we still need to get there as soon as possible. I ain't leaving Kagome as youkai-bait any longer than I have to," Inuyasha said grimly, trying not to picture the girl in a dungeon somewhere, surrounded by slavering enemies.

_She isn't dead_, he told himself, his chest giving a painful twinge. _She can't be!_ _The dragon wouldn't have bothered to take her if all he was going to do was toss her to his minions as food._ _He needs her for something. _

Inuyasha badly wanted to believe that it had to do with the jewel that Envy had stolen from Naraku.

_Not dead_, he told himself again, trying to convince himself._ I can still save her._

Inuyasha flexed his fingers, relishing the sight of his newly-returned claws. If any of those youkai had even _looked_ at Kagome funny, he'd have their asses…after he kicked the dragon's ass.

The last he saw of her, Kagome had been bleeding. He'd make Envy _pay_ for that.

"I've got an idea!" Edward said, interrupting Inuyasha's thoughts with a rather maniacal grin. He rubbed his gloved hands together.

"Oh, yeah?" Inuyasha scowled, remembering what had happened the last time Edward had gotten an _idea._

Even Miroku was looking somewhat uneasy at Edward's sudden enthusiasm.

Alphonse shared a long glance with his brother, as if exchanging silent communication, then turned to the rest of the group with a grin. "Brother's specialty is improvisational alchemy. And we've got Kagome-san's jewel shards, so he should be able to transmute something, ah, without danger to you, Inuyasha-san" he added, with an irritating note of condescension.

Before Inuyasha could do more than mutter a skeptical "Keh," Alphonse had turned away, and joined his brother.

The two foreign sorcerers dropped to their knees and crouched over a bare patch of dirt, and began sketching something with twigs, muttering rapid gibberish.

ooOoo

"But, Brother, what about fording streams? There don't seem to be many bridges in this country, and the engine will short out--" Alphonse said a short while later, waving his twig for emphasis.

"Not if we raise the frame this far." Edward lifted his hand to knee-height. "We'll need bigger wheels, and it'll raise the center of balance, so we'll have to be careful with turns and steep areas, but if we--" he lapsed once more into jargon that Inuyasha didn't understand, but Alphonse apparently did, judging on his vigorous nods and murmurs of agreement.

Souta cautiously sidled closer, peering over their shoulders with a combination of shyness and intense curiosity.

"Er, that looks like a species of motorcar," he said, hesitantly. "If you don't mind me asking, where do you intend to get the steel for the frame? Or the petrol to run it?"

"It's an Amestrian design, so it's steam-powered. Plenty of water in Japan, right?" Edward replied. "And we can make our own steel by extracting iron ore, and adding carbon."

"But there aren't any iron mines in this area," Souta replied. "I know of one in Hokkaido, and there are some in Honshu, but those are quite far away."

Edward's face fell, then he looked eagerly around. "We could use other metals...let's see, we have the ration cans, those can be transmuted for the piping. And the weapons Ikeda made us bring, those are steel, and..."

His eye fell on Tetsusaiga, and Inuyasha clutched his sword reflexively. "Not a chance in hell, you bastard," he growled.

"Uh, okay. What else have we got...?" Edward continued his inventory, but even Inuyasha could see that their group's stores of metal were pitifully scant.

"Now what?" Souta asked, when Edward wound down.

Edward shrugged, unfazed. "We can transmute some metal using the rocks around here. I know the basic structure of iron--it should be easy enough to do."

"And we can transmute wood to construct the body and maybe synthesize some tires using other plant matter," Alphonse added. "Perhaps we can even fashion a glass windscreen using some of the sand from that stream."

He looked up at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha-san, can you bring some of the trees that you, er, knocked over this morning?"

In short order, Miroku, Sango, and Souta were also drafted into gathering an odd assemblage of materials, while the brothers used a stick and string to painstakingly scratch a new sorcery circle into the soft dirt of their campsite.

The transmutation of a collection of weird and apparently useless objects was done in several stages and took far too long, as far as Inuyasha was concerned.

Ed and Al assured him, over and over again, that whatever they were constructing would allow them all to travel rapidly towards Kasama Castle. Seething with his forced inactivity, Inuyasha sulked high in the branches of a nearby tree, glaring down at the brothers, willing them to hurry the hell up with whatever it was that they were building.

Finally, as the sun stood near noon, they were ready to activate the final spell.

Over the course of the morning they had discovered that Alphonse could also access the power stored in Kagome's jewel shards, which meant that Souta could rest in between transmutation attempts. Channeling the power of the shards into the transmutation circle was apparently an exhausting activity, and Souta was quickly panting and flushed with effort.

Inuyasha gleefully observed that Edward, however, was utterly unable to get the jewel shards to do _anything._ Served the bastard right!

"It's not your fault, Brother," Alphonse was saying to a seething Edward, who held a shard, white-knuckled, in his bare flesh hand, glaring down at it. "I think I can use it because I have the ability to project my soul into inanimate objects. It seems to work similarly to Professor Higurashi's ability to imbue objects with spiritual powers." He looked at Miroku, who was standing a respectful distance away, but observing the proceedings with keen interest. "Miroku-sama, you also have spiritual powers, correct?"

When Miroku nodded, Alphonse continued: "Have you been able to use Kagome-san's shards? Could you help us out here?"

Alphonse looked surprised when Miroku replied: "I have never tried to use the Jewel shards, Alphonse-sama, nor do I wish to attempt it. You will forgive me if I decline your request, though I am willing to help you in any other way."

"But--but why not?" Edward asked, clearly bewildered, his gaze bouncing between Miroku and the shard he was still holding.

Miroku sighed. "I've seen how the Jewel's power corrupts its wielders, Knowing my own weaknesses, I resolved some time ago not to allow myself to come into contact with it." He paused for a moment, then continued. "It is Kagome-sama's intention to purify the shards and make the Jewel whole again, and to find a way to make it disappear from this world forever. I will help her to accomplish this in whatever humble way that I can."

"What a waste!" Edward declared. "I mean, with that much energy on hand, who knows what you could do! The possibilities are limitless!"

"I think that's the problem, Brother," Al said, with a thoughtful expression. "I don't know how to explain it, but the Jewel shards feel somehow _alive_ to me, like the Philosopher's Stone. It's got that same aura of--of terrible power gained through terrible wrongness."

Edward stayed silent for a long moment, staring down at the shard he still held, and handed it abruptly back to Souta with an expression of distaste. "Okay. One more transmutation, and then we'll be done with this. Al, you wanna help me bring the engine over here?"

After all the bits and pieces created during earlier transmutations had been dragged into a jumbled pile, and the lines and arcs of the transmutation circle retraced, Edward, Alphonse, and Souta knelt at their designated positions.

The circle lit with an unholy pink glow that made Inuyasha shudder in memory of what it had felt like to power that sorcery with his own youki, and there was a silent explosion and dance of components.

When the light died away, Inuyasha saw that Edward and Alphonse had fashioned a large carriage that looked like the self-propelled ones used in Kagome's world.

_Well, that might work_, thought Inuyasha, remembering what he had seen during his visits to the other side of the well. If it did, then it wouldn't matter that Alphonse was still recovering from his injuries, or that Kagome's uncle was a scholar used to soft living.

There was another delay as water was fetched and the large tank at the back of the car was filled, then a flurry of activity as the bedrolls and supplies were packed up and tied to the roof of the carriage.

One final clap of Edward's hands as Alphonse stood at his shoulder, concentrating on the glowing splinter in his grasp, and the carriage roared to life.

Inuyasha took a cautious sniff, and realized it didn't smell nearly as bad as the ones in Kagome's world. Edward, Souta, Alphonse, and Miroku entered the carriage--Miroku easing himself inside rather gingerly--as Sango, dressed in her youkai-exterminator armor leapt astride Kirara.

The carriage lurched forward, then began to roll steadily towards the road.

Finally! Inuyasha bounded ahead, listening to the steady roar of the carriage as it followed him up the bumpy, rutted path that led to Kasama Castle.

ooOoo

True to Edward's word, they made excellent progress that day, even with frequent stops to refill the carriage's tank with water. As the sun began to sink past the horizon, Inuyasha thought that they might make it to Kasama Castle by noon the following day.

They had still lost precious hours constructing the carriage, but it was still better than proceeding at the walking pace of ordinary humans.

When they finally halted to make camp in the orange twilight, Inuyasha watched as Alphonse and Edward coached Souta through an attempt to light the campfire using sorcery.

Kagome's uncle had miniature versions of those spell-circles inked on the backs of his hands, and he was clutching Miroku's flint and steel. Edward and Alphonse were both watching him intently, offering low-voiced advice.

Souta nodded, frowning in concentration, and muttered something under his breath. Then he leaned forward slightly, tapping the flint and steel together.

Perched safely in a nearby tree, and out of range of the transmutation, Inuyasha couldn't help starting in surprise as an enormous blast of flame engulfed the humble pile of kindling in the firepit, then jumped further, cutting a bright swathe of destruction through the campsite.

Edward and Alphonse dove in opposite directions to avoid the blast, Edward cursing loudly.

Inuyasha saw the nearest bushes catch fire.

"Holy shit!" Edward yelled, rolling to his feet and laughing wildly. "You did it, Professor! You really--hey, my bedroll is burning!"

He ran forward and stomped frantically on the smoldering cloth with his thick-soled shoes, extinguishing the glowing patches.

"I still think that Kagome's matches work the best," Inuyasha yelled down at them, and Sango laughed.

"They do seem less dangerous," she agreed.

Edward cast a dirty look in both their directions, then turned away to finish salvaging his bedding.

"Professor, are you all right?" Alphonse hastily heaved a large piece of wood onto the blazing kindling, and made his way around to where Souta was sitting.

Kagome's uncle was looking dazed and cradling his hands to his chest.

"I--I burned myself," Souta admitted, and grinned shakily. "It worked! I think I need to adjust the oxygen ratios a bit, though--"

Inuyasha tuned them out as the discussion became gibberish to his ears. He hoped they would stop talking soon, and do something about dinner. He missed Kagome's ninja food--the bland, fishy concoctions extracted from the metal cylinders were filling but not nearly as tasty as the instant ramen she brought him from her world.

He wondered if Envy was feeding her properly, and tried not to think about her, possibly hungry and probably frightened, captive in a fortress crowded with youkai.

_I'm coming, Kagome. I'll be there soon._

Sango eventually shooed the brothers away to fetch water for tea and stew. As Miroku carefully opened the food cylinders that had survived Edward's construction of the carriage, she found Kagome's medicine box, and tended Souta's blistered hands with salve and bandages.

Inuyasha made several forays into the nearby woods, bringing back armfuls of fallen branches to feed the fire.

He returned from one trip to overhear Edward say, "Look, Al, you know I'll figure out how use those shards eventually, right? And when I do, you, me and Souta, we'll each need one if we're gonna face Envy."

Edward turned to Miroku. "Do you know where we could get some more of those shards?"

Miroku shook his head. "There aren't many left. The largest fragment of the jewel was in Naraku's possession, and now I suppose this Envy has it. Other than that--" he held up fingers in succession, counting them off. "Sango's brother Kohaku carries one to sustain his life. And Kouga, a wolf-youkai and the leader of the Eastern Wolf Pack, bears two shards in his legs. And then there are Kagome-sama's two shards..."

Just then, Inuyasha caught a familiar--and unwelcome--scent.

He barely had time to leap down from his perch in the tree before a small whirlwind of leaves and dirt blew through the camp.

Inuyasha heard the rapid pounding of bare feet against earth skid to a halt, and found himself nearly nose-to-nose with Kouga.

"What the hell do you w--" Inuyasha began, but Kouga ignored him, peering around interestedly at the campsite.

His fur kilt was heavy with dust, and his legs were coated thickly with it. His long black hair, pulled back into its usual high ponytail, appeared several shades lighter, powdered as it was.

"What's that stink?" Kouga asked, wrinkling his nose. "Something smells even worse than you do, dog-shit, and that's saying something." He peered around some more, and Inuyasha could see him sniffing. "And where's Kagome?"

Inuyasha saw Souta's eyes nearly bulge from their sockets as he caught sight of Kouga's tail.

"Gone, you wimpy wolf," Inuyasha growled, succinctly.

"A dragon took her," Miroku added.

_Thanks a lot, you stupid monk,_ thought Inuyasha.

True to form, Kouga immediately pounced. "What do you mean, a dragon took my woman? What kind of incompetent are you, dog-shit? Or is that sword of yours just for show?"

Now Alphonse's eyes were nearly as wide as Souta's.

And Edward--Edward, damn him, was smirking!

_His woman?_ he mouthed silently at Inuyasha, who scowled back.

As soon as he got rid of Kouga, Inuyasha was gonna beat that smile off Edward's face.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Inuyasha asked, cracking his knuckles. "Kagome ain't your woman! But if you really want to help us..."

His hand dropped to Tetsusaiga's hilt. It thrummed eagerly under his palm.

"How?" Kouga responded, a little warily.

"You can give us your shards, you wimpy wolf!" Inuyasha crowed, drawing his sword.

Finally, a chance to redeem himself! And show both of the sorcerer-brothers what he could do, now that his strength had finally been restored!

Tetsusaiga transformed with a satisfying blaze, and Inuyasha brought the wide blade down low, sweeping at the shards embedded in Kouga's legs.

The wolf-prince leapt backwards and dodged the blow, but only barely.

Inuyasha pressed forward, doing his best to target Kouga's legs below the knees. In the past, their fights had been void of deadly intent--each would have cheerfully smashed in the face of the other, but the object was to humiliate, not kill.

But now, with Kagome's life hanging in the balance, Inuyasha needed to make sure that every member of their party could fight.

And that meant taking Kouga's shards.

Once again, only the speed lent to him by the shards in his legs allowed Kouga to leap out of danger.

"Hey!" exclaimed the wolf-prince, his blue eyes narrowing. "Wait a minute, dog-face! Since when did you get so serious about this--?"

Inuyasha charged forward once more.

**Canon and Historical Notes**

**Sankon tessou:** Inuyasha's most basic attack, using a combination of his claws and his youki to destroy anything he strikes. Translated in the English dub of the anime to "Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"

**Kaze no Kiz****u**: One of Tetsusaiga's powers, a destructive wave of energy that uses the interplay of Inuyasha's youki against an opponent's youki. Translated in the English dub of the anime to "Wind Scar."

All hail the wonderful **kokoronagomu**, beta reader extraordinaire!


	30. The Wolf Prince

29

**Author's Note**: _Apologies for the delay between chapters--August found me embroiled in a parade of visitors and a major home renovation, and I didn't have much time to write. A warning: there will be character deaths ahead between now and the end of this story. Sorry about that...I don't usually write depressing endings, and I don't intend this to become a "...and they all died tragically," kind of story, but there will be casualties along the way._

_On the road to Kasama Castle, 16th-century Japan_

What had started out as a round of only slightly malicious teasing on Kouga's part had suddenly turned serious.

"Hey!" exclaimed the wolf-prince, his blue eyes narrowing. "Wait a minute, dog-face! Since when did you get so serious about this--?"

He dodged out of the way of the next swing of the hanyou's giant sword, feeling the tingle in his legs as the jewel shards embedded in his shins lent him their strength.

What on earth was going on here?

Inuyasha, while maybe not a friend, was at least an ally, Kouga thought, as he kicked out, aiming for Inuyasha's wrist, trying to disarm him.

So, why was he attacking him with serious intent now? The hanyou had even risked his own life to save Kouga once or twice, and Kouga was an honorable youkai. He would not forget the debt he owed Inuyasha, even if he couldn't resist teasing him about his feelings for his delectable and delightfully courageous human companion.

And while their infrequent encounters usually involved threats and even a brief tussle now and again, Kouga had always treated these more as dominance posturing than any indication of murderous intent.

But now...now Kagome must _really_ be in trouble, thought Kouga, as Inuyasha rushed at him again.

The hanyou fairly radiated desperation, and the musky stink of what could only be the dragon he had mentioned hung heavily around Inuyasha's human companions and their belongings.

Kouga leapt in the air, and somersaulted out of Inuyasha's way, smirking as he managed to land on the hanyou's head and kick off again before Inuyasha could react.

Inuyasha stumbled, his balance thrown off by his sword's great weight, and Kouga took advantage of his opponent's moment of weakness to plant a strong kick between Inuyasha's shoulder blades.

The hanyou pitched forward with a curse, the sword flying from his hand and immediately shrinking back down to a worn, rusty katana as it landed on the grass some distance away.

Kouga immediately pressed his advantage by landing on Inuyasha's back, knees pressed firmly on either side of the hanyou's spine. He grabbed Inuyasha's wrists and twisted his arms up behind his back.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded, tightening his grip.

"Fuck you!" came the muffled exclamation from the face pressed firmly into the grass.

Kouga grinned humorlessly. "Wrong answer, dog-shit," he said with false cheer, and began to force Inuyasha's arms up higher, feeling the resistance as he did so.

Kagome might be upset if he pulled Inuyasha's arm out of its socket, thought Kouga, but he wanted a little payback for the hanyou's unprovoked attack on him. He applied more pressure, and felt Inuyasha's breathing turn ragged under his knees.

A hand touched his bare arm cautiously. "Don't hurt him, please?"

The youkai exterminator didn't smell nearly as nice as Kagome, but she smelled better than the monk who stood at her shoulder, his expression composed but his eyes glittering and a white knuckled grip on the shaft of his metal-tipped staff.

Kouga eyed the pair of humans cautiously--he knew from previous experience that they were formidable fighters.

Not that they'd be able to overpower him, of course, but Kagome wouldn't like it if he was forced to hurt her friends in self-defense.

Inuyasha thrashed weakly. "…don't need your help, Sango--Mmmph!"

Kouga found that he could shut Dog-face up simply by leaning forward a little, and pressing the hanyou's face more firmly into the ground.

"What's gotten into him? Why is he so eager to steal my jewel shards all of a sudden?" the wolf prince demanded of Inuyasha's human friends.

The monk and the slayer exchanged glances. The monk answered.

"He wishes to help Kagome-sama," he said with his usual politeness, but Kouga could hear determination underlying his voice, like a steel blade hidden in a shiny scabbard. "We have several powerful sorcerers in our company, but in order to successfully storm Kasama Castle, they need jewel shards to perform their magic."

"Sorcerers?" Kouga studied the other humans in the group with an assessing eye.

Two of them were young men with foreign clothing and hair the color of straw--a quick sniff confirmed that they weren't youkai or hanyou despite their strange appearance--and one was a tired-looking man with normal dark hair, but wearing the same style of garments as his two companions.

None of them exuded any aura out of the ordinary for three humans.

"_Those_ guys? You've got to be shitting me," Kouga continued, incredulously. "A toad-youkai could kick their asses without even trying."

The shortest of the three strangers scowled and clenched his fists. "What are you trying to say, you freak?"

"Edward-sama, please," the slayer said. "We need Kouga's help."

"Damned right you do!" Kouga interjected. "But I'm not sure I wanna help the guys who let my woman get kidnapped."

Underneath his weight, Inuyasha wriggled convulsively, nearly throwing Kouga off, and his muffled swearing grew louder.

Kouga regained his balance--and his advantage over Inuyasha--but knew it couldn't last for long. Dog-face was freakishly strong for a half-breed.

"I'll tell you what," Kouga said. "I'll do what this loser couldn't--_I'll_ rescue Kagome!" He began to ease up cautiously on Inuyasha, preparing to make his move. "You said that she's being held at Kasama Castle, right?"

He leapt nimbly away from Inuyasha, and dashed away, determined to put a goodly distance between himself and the campsite before the enraged hanyou regained his feet.

As he sped along the narrow dirt track, his keen ears allowed him to overhear Inuyasha. "Miroku, you dumbass! Now we'll never--"

The rest of Inuyasha's complaint was lost in the rush of wind in Kouga's ears as he drew on the shards to power his legs.

Oh, he couldn't wait to see Inuyasha's expression when he, Kouga, returned to the little group with a grateful Kagome at his side after rescuing her and defeating this dragon!

ooOoo

"That fucking wimpy wolf! I'm not gonna let him--" Inuyasha was still ranting as he stomped around the campsite.

The Professor was looking mildly alarmed at this display of temper, and Alphonse appeared to be politely ignoring the whole thing. He was probably exhausted--vehicle or not, it had been a long day for someone still recovering from serious blood loss.

Or maybe, thought Edward, his brother was just depressed at the prospect of yet another rival for Kagome's affections. There was something about the girl that seemed to attract demons.

Speaking of demons...Ed looked at the grass stains covering the front of the hanyou's red outfit, and the smears of dirt on his chin and forehead, and snickered.

Unfortunately, Inuyasha heard him.

"You got something to say to me?" he demanded, leaning in close, and displaying far too many sharp white teeth.

Ed saw Miroku begin to intervene, then stop as Sango put a hand on his arm. _Okay, I'm on my own here. I really gotta stop being such a smart-ass._

Exerting an ungentle pressure with his automail hand, Ed deliberately removed the clawed hand clutching the lapel of his jacket. "Just that we'd better get going if we're going to catch up with you…uh…_friend_ there."

"He's not my fucking fr--" Inuyasha began, his tanned cheeks flushing dangerously. He stopped when he realized that Ed was goading him.

"But it's night," he said, after a moment, "I can see in the dark, but you guys--"

Ed shrugged and grinned. "That's why Al and I put headlights on this thing," he said, cheerfully, pointing at their vehicle. "C'mon, let's get going."

ooOoo

Kagome spent her second night in Kasama Castle huddled, shivering, under the single light quilt provided her. She lay awake for hours, trying to get warm. Even her attempts to roll herself up in the thin futon didn't help--she still felt drafts pierce the bedding, sending icy fingers through the rents in her clothing, and as soon as she dozed off, her grip on the ends of the mattress loosened enough to allow it to unroll.

Her thoughts marched wearily around and around as she drew her knees up to her chest, her teeth chattering. _Envy. The Shikon no Tama. Alphonse-kun._

_Inuyasha. _

If only he were here!

But she was on her own. She knew he was searching for her, probably frantic with worry by now and taking it out on his friends, but who knew when he'd find her?

In the meantime…_somehow_…she had to figure out how to use what she'd learned today.

Shadowed by Chouko, Kagome had spent hours investigating the castle, its courtyards, and its buildings. At first, she tried to be unobtrusive about it, but it soon became clear that none of the youkai were paying her the slightest heed. She was a lowly human, and off-limits for food, so therefore beneath their interest.

What Kagome learned was not encouraging. The castle's walls were high and in excellent repair; the gates were wooden beams reinforced with metal, and the fortifications were manned by armed guards, both human and youkai. Even if she _did_ get her hands on the jewel, how would she ever escape from here without Inuyasha's help?

Not that she was anywhere close to the jewel. In fact, she hadn't seen Envy at all after their strange meeting that morning.

Midday came and went without the slightest hint of food, and by the time dusk fell, she was feeling dizzy and faintly nauseous from hunger.

Chouko escorted her back to her tiny room, and brought her a bowl of stew. It was much too salty, and had a weird, slimy texture, but by this time, Kagome was too ravenous to care.

She ate it all, even the oddly-shaped bits of meat, firmly refusing to speculate on what they might be, and shamelessly scraped the sides of the bowl for every last drop.

Then there was nothing to do but shiver and wait for sleep. The castle had no books, as far as she could see, and her own textbooks had been left behind at the campsite.

Finally, after what felt like hours, she fell into a doze.

_"Kagome-chan." The voice, quiet and feminine, startled Kagome._

_She sat up, and found that her tiny chamber--and the very castle itself--had disappeared into a landscape of unending mist. It was still very cold. Hugging her arms around her, she tried to control chattering teeth. _

_"W-who is it?"_

_A faint pink glow caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and she turned her head to see a young woman standing nearby. She was gravely beautiful, and wearing archaic armor. Memory tugged at Kagome's consciousness. The woman seemed familiar somehow..._

_Memory sparked at last. _

_"Midoriko-sama?" Kagome looked around. "Where am I?"_

_The woman inclined her head. "Kagome-chan, you are in great peril, and my time here is short. You must listen to me, very carefully."_

_"What _else_ could be wrong?" Kagome asked, despairingly. "I'm already a prisoner in a castle filled with youkai, and Envy's got the jewel, and my arrows don't work against him!"_

_She dropped her gaze, ashamed of her weakness. "I'm sorry," she concluded, in a whisper._

_"Child, look at me," commanded Midoriko._

_Unable to refuse, Kagome did, and met the stern gaze of the warrior-priestess. That calm, strong regard made her feel even smaller and grubbier and more useless than before. _

_"Child, you are strong, stronger than you realize," Midoriko said. "But that strength is a dangerous temptation to the being which now possesses the Shikon no Tama."_

_"I'm helping him," Kagome confessed. "I'm not sure I should, but I think he'd kill me if I said 'no' to him."_

_"He's planning on killing you, anyway," Midoriko informed her, and Kagome's heart gave an unpleasant lurch. "As soon as he learns out how to avoid tainting the jewel, he won't need you any longer."_

_"And, um, how close is he to figuring that out?" Kagome hugged herself tighter, feeling the cold mist creep into her very bones. She thought longingly of hot baths and thick coats. _

_"You have a little time, but not much, I think," Midoriko replied, after a moment spent listening for something. _

_"What should I do?" Kagome asked her, a little desperately. "How do I--"_

"Human!" a voice broke into her dream, and Kagome tried to push it away, tried to hang on to Midoriko, but her surroundings melted away like mist in the morning sun. "Human, wake up!"

Feeling even wearier than when she'd crawled into bed, Kagome opened her eyes and peered blearily up at Chouko's unwelcome presence. The room was still dark--it must be before dawn.

"Human, Envy-dono requires your presence," Chouko said, looking irritated at Kagome's sluggish response.

At least she wouldn't have to get dressed, Kagome thought sourly, as she crawled out from beneath the inadequate bedding, and reached for the cup of throat-rasping tea proffered by Chouko.

It tasted better than yesterday's offering, but then again, maybe she was just grateful that it was _hot._

ooOoo

The Jewel's whispers had started again well before dusk, but Envy pushed the voices back ruthlessly.

They grew louder and stronger as the black hours of night passed into a sullen gray dawn. Finally, he yielded to necessity, and ordered his guards to summon the girl.

Damn it, but he had hoped that whatever it was that she had done to the Jewel the previous day--_purifying_, she had called it--would have lasted longer.

It was going to make him look weak if he continued to call upon her. And he knew just how the youkai crowding the castle would react to any sign of weakness.

Or maybe she was tricking him somehow, making sure that the purification wore off so that he'd keep her alive a little longer. Funny, but she hadn't _seemed_ like the devious type...

Maybe he should just kill her now, before she realized that she had power over him.

But if he did that, how could he keep the upper hand with the fucking jewel? It _knew_ it had power over him.

It was a fucking dilemma, thought Envy, as he sat on his dais, impatiently drumming his fingers against the carved wooden armrest of his seat. Frying pan or fire...obligated to a human girl or controlled by a broken piece of glass with a malevolent mind of its own?

He needed that taiyoukai's soul, damn it!

...or did he?

Envy paused, and his restless fingers stilled as he reexamined his thinking. After all, it had been Naraku who had suggested it in the first place. Would Envy _really_ be able to master the jewel that way? Or did Naraku have a deeper agenda?

Now, the human girl...she had already proven her ability to master the jewel. True, her soul didn't hold the same cachet as that of a prince among youkai...but she was a known quantity, and that made her valuable.

This mysterious taiyoukai was just that...mysterious. Powerful, certainly. But as to whether that power would be useful to Envy...now, _that_ was a lot less certain.

What if Naraku just wanted the taiyoukai dead for his own purposes?

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed likely that the girl might be just the thing he needed. A bird in the hand was always worth more than a bird--or taiyoukai--loose in the forest somewhere.

Of course, the girl's ability to control the jewel would make stealing her soul via that route difficult, but Envy was certain he could find another way.

Long minutes passed, and Envy saw the youkai retainers standing closest to the dais begin to edge away nervously as his finger-tapping resumed.

Then Chouko finally appeared, practically dragging the girl into the audience chamber.

The youkai woman bowed deeply. "Envy-dono!" she choked out. "I am unforgivably late! Please excuse your humble servant!"

Envy ignored her, his glance flicking to the human girl, who stood quietly at Chouko's side.

She was definitely looking bedraggled, still wearing her dirty, torn, blood-stained priestess's blouse and loose red trousers, her hair tousled and her face pale, with dark circles under her eyes.

"Little girl," he said, cutting across the continuing stream of Chouko's apologies.

"My name is Kagome," she said, politely but firmly.

He saw her studying him warily, clearly trying to decide if she had angered him. What was missing from her was the sense of bone-deep terror that emanated from every other human in his presence, and from many of the youkai.

_Kill her! She wants to steal your will! She wants to defeat you!_ The voices of he jewel inside his head rose to an almost-unbearable volume.

"Little girl," he said again, this time with a sneer. "Time to put you to work."

Her gaze dropped to his chest, where the jewel throbbed with a dull ache that spread through to his shoulders and spine. And he saw something in her expression that make rage rise like bile in his throat, choking him.

Pity.

She _pitied_ him? HIM! It was unbearable.

His hands curled into fists, and he leaned forward. This time, several of the youkai dancing attendance on him actually cowered.

The Jewel sang its approval of his anger, and he scowled, controlling his burst of rage.

Until he found a way to extract her talents, the girl was a dangerous weakness, but not nearly as dangerous as allowing the Jewel to realize the extent of its influence.

"Well?" he snapped, when she continued to stare at him. He lowered his voice to silky threat. "Don't make me ask again."

She took an obviously-reluctant step forward, and raised her hand, reaching for his jewel.

The voices stilled abruptly. _That's right_, he thought savagely at the Jewel. _You know what's coming next, don't you?_

There was a great crash outside, and Envy felt the dais shiver under him.

"KAGOME!" came a faint roar from the courtyard.

She whirled to face the sliding door that led into the audience chamber.

"Inuyasha?" Her voice was a choked whisper.

She took a step away from him. Envy elongated his arm, and seized her by the neck.

"Going somewhere?" he inquired sarcastically.

She glared in reply, and he tightened his grip cruelly, pulling her back to him. She stumbled, and his nails dug into the soft flesh of her throat and collarbone.

He held her immobile at his feet, drops of blood welling around the crescents his nails were pressing into her skin, until the door to the hall opened a short time later, and one of his guards entered.

Panting, the man threw himself down on his hands and knees, and touched his forehead to the tatami mats that floored the hall.

"Envy-dono!" he gasped. "There's a youkai--a _really_ strong youkai--outside. He claims you stole his woman, and he demands satisfaction!"

The girl stiffened, eyes wide. A ripple of shocked whispers spread through the onlookers in the hall.

Envy gave a short laugh. "He's _demanding_ something from me? Keep him cooling his heels outside the gates for a few days--maybe that'll improve his manners."

"B-but, my lord, he's here! Inside the castle! He kicked down the gate!"

Envy rose from the dais in a single smooth motion despite his hampering robes. The guard looked up fearfully, but Envy wasn't interested in killing the messenger this time.

"Come along," he said to the girl, and dragged her with him down the length of the audience chamber, still holding her neck in an unbreakable grip. "Let's see what your boyfriend does next."

The youkai stood in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by a ring of armed guardsmen, their spears at the ready but keeping a cautious distance. To Envy's surprise, it was _not_ the red-clad, silver-haired hanyou boy from the campsite.

The stranger wore a curious mix of fur garments and bits of armor. He had the pointed ears of a full-blooded youkai, bright blue eyes, and long dark hair pulled into a high ponytail.

"Who the hell are _you?_" Envy asked, puzzled, just as Kagome exclaimed:

"Kouga-kun!"

"Kagome!" replied the stranger, with a cocksure grin. "Are you okay? I've come to rescue you!" The grin vanished, and he scowled at Envy. "Let go of her, you bastard!"

Without releasing his grip on the girl's throat, Envy cast a glance at the castle's main gate. The thick cypress timbers were splintered, and the gate hung in the doorway at an odd angle. _How did he do that?_

The voices of the Jewel answered unexpectedly. _He has shards! We can sense them!_

Shards? But where was he hiding them? Envy studied the invader with new interest.

"...I can smell him everywhere," Kouga was saying to the girl, his nose wrinkling, "but I don't see the dragon. Is he here?"

"Yes, he is. And _you_ certainly know how to make an entrance. Very impressive," Envy drawled. "And you've brought me jewel shards, too. How thoughtful!"

The girl's glance darted to Kouga's legs, dropping below his knees, and Envy suddenly realized where the shards were.

He raised his free hand.

"Kouga-kun, RUN!" she screamed. "He want to steal your--"

"Run? But I'm here to resc--" The youkai was still gaping foolishly at her as Envy's elongated fingers, now tipped with razor-sharp claws, tore through his shin-guards in a blur of motion and embedded themselves in the flesh beneath.

_There!_ Envy tore out the shards in a spray of blood. He retracted his fingers with their precious prizes, sending Kouga to his knees in the dirt of the courtyard.

"You bastard!" The youkai tried to struggle to his feet, and failed.

"Kouga-kun!" Kagome tried and failed to loosen Envy's grip on her. "Are you all right?"

Envy raised an incredulous brow in her direction. Had she _really_ just asked that, when her youkai friend was kneeling in a pool of his own blood?

He examined the shards gleaming wetly in his palm. "Thanks for the present, Kouga-kun," he said, ironically. "This is turning out to be a _much_ better day than I expected."

The Jewel shrieked in triumph.

**Canon and Historical Notes**

All hail the wonderful **kokoronagomu**, beta reader extraordinaire!


	31. An Unexpected Opportunity

Chapter 30

_Kasama Castle, 16th-century Japan_

If Kagome had thought she was cold before, it was nothing compared to the frozen horror that she felt as she saw Envy cupping Kouga's jewel shards in his blood-stained fingers.

Her captor grinned and raised his prize to examine it more closely.

"I just love it when my guests bring me presents," he purred, his strange purple eyes glowing with delight.

"You...bastard," Kouga gritted out. He was still on his knees, struggling to rise after the sudden attack that had ripped the shards from his lower legs. "Those are _mine._ I need them!"

The wolf-prince clutched at Kagome's hand, trying to lever himself to his feet.

She found her voice. "Kouga-kun...don't. Please..." _Please don't let him kill you, too._

She shuddered as she vividly remembered Alphonse Elric as she had last seen him, unconscious and bleeding heavily from deep slashes across his chest and belly. Was Al really dead, as Envy had told her?

No, he couldn't be! And if Kouga had found her, perhaps Inuyasha was close behind.

Wrongness, like a heavy wave of _jyaki_, swept over her. She looked up to see Envy enveloped in dark coils of a miasma that writhed free of the jewel embedded at the base of his too-pale throat.

"Oh no, you don't, you little fucker!" he rasped, his face contorting.

He was holding Kouga's shards against his own large fragment, but as his wide sleeves fell back, Kagome saw how the muscles in his forearms bunched, as if he were fighting to move his arm away from the jewel--and couldn't.

There was a soundless explosion, and Kagome staggered backwards a step against an invisible wave that surrounded her momentarily with an overwhelming anger and lust to destroy everything.

She gasped, and the feeling left her as abruptly as it had appeared.

"No! Not now!" Envy's voice was now a choked growl.

He stiffened, his body bowing backwards as if he were convulsing. His arms fell to his sides, and the dark energies pulsing around him surrounding him like an evil cloak.

_Not good!_ Kagome thought, rooted to the spot with an awful fascination. _What's happening to him?_

She wasn't the only one. The youkai and human retainers who had followed them out into the courtyard began to murmur uneasily, and a gradual shuffle away from their afflicted lord commenced.

Envy screamed, and convulsed again, his body lengthening and changing. Kagome took a nervous step back herself.

A hint of scaliness appeared on the bits of pale skin that showed through the miasma, and his body kept elongating just as unnaturally as his fingers had...earlier.

What was going on?

Another hoarse scream. His head was deforming as she watched and the miasma cloaked him in choking coils.

And the expression in his eyes, when Kagome caught a glimpse, was entirely devoid of the malicious intelligence that had characterized her previous interactions with him.

Waves of blind rage and bloodlust beat against her mind like angry wing-beats, battering, bruising her sense of self.

And then she knew. The jewel was possessing him, forcing him to transform into a dragon, and it had driven him mad.

"We have to go!" she whispered fiercely down at Kouga, who was still on his knees and who seemed transfixed by the sight of Envy's transformation.

"Yeah," he replied absently, but didn't stop staring.

"Oh no," said Chouko's voice at this most unwelcome moment, and Kagome felt the youkai woman seize her arm in a bruising grip. "Envy-dono has not yet dismissed you."

"But something's really wrong with him!" Kagome protested, feeling as if she were stating the obvious.

"And you have to stop it! That's why he let you live," countered Chouko.

To Kagome's horror, she actually stepped forward, pulling Kagome with her. "Envy-dono! We can help you!" she called.

_Nononono! No one can help him now!_

Kagome bit back a whimper and dug in her heels, trying to wriggle out of Chouko's painful grip on her wrist. Unfortunately, her flimsy zori sandals didn't give her much purchase on the loose gravel that paved the courtyard, and she skidded, flailing a little to maintain her balance as Chouko dragged her forward.

"She's not going anywhere with you!" said Kouga, finally rousing from his distracted state, and Kagome suddenly found herself the center of a tug-of-war between two youkai.

"Let her go!" demanded Chouko, in a low voice.

"Like hell I will!" Kouga's grip grew tighter, and Kagome felt the bones in her hand grind together painfully.

The relentless pull continued from both directions, until the pain in Kagome's arms and shoulders grew unbearable. It felt like Chouka and Kouga might pull her arms from her sockets without realizing their strength.

"OW!" she cried, finally. "Let go of me!"

Neither of the two youkai paused from glowering at each other to pay heed to her.

But Envy, who had nearly completed his metamorphosis into a giant, pale-green dragon, took notice of the disturbance.

There was a blur of motion, and Chouko's sudden scream was just as suddenly silenced. Her grip vanished abruptly, and Kagome was yanked backwards.

She fell heavily on top of Kouga. He made a faint "Oof!" and wrapped his arms around her waist as they landed in the dirt and gravel.

Then Kagome watched in horror as the dragon that had once been Envy bit down on the body in its jaws. Chouko convulsed in a dark spray of blood, and the miasma surrounded her. Kagome saw the youkai woman's youki flare, then dissipate rapidly, as if absorbed by the miasma.

Then Envy began to chew, noisily and messily, and Kagome turned away, feeling light-headed and more than a little nauseous.

"C'mon. We'd better get out of here," Kouga said.

The arms around her waist tightened, and Kagome found herself abruptly on her feet. Dizzy, and swallowing hard to keep down her meager breakfast, she didn't protest when he took her hand and began pulling her along.

They found themselves engulfed in general stampede of humans and youkai, all trying to escape the confines of the courtyard as Envy finished devouring the unfortunate Chouko and casually plucked up another youkai, this one dressed in what looked like a garment of green leaves and vines.

"Stand fast! Hold your ground, men! We are the Sons of the Dragon!" one of the armored human guards was shouting, bravely trying to stop the exodus by barring the broken gate with his spear.

No one paid him any heed, not even his fellow guardsman, and certainly not Kouga and Kagome.

But the guardsman had created a bottleneck in the gateway, and the mass of fleeing retainers fighting to shove their way through the narrow opening in the walls only made things worse. As Kagome watched, Envy swiftly advanced, and took another victim from the now-panicked mob.

They weren't going to escape that way. But where could they go? Kagome glanced around wildly.

"This way!" Kagome shouted, and pulled at the hand Kouga still held.

He lurched in her wake with staggering steps, his fingers laced securely with hers.

"Hey," he panted, as she tried frantically to hurry him along. "Wasn't I supposed to be rescuing YOU?"

She spared him a small smile over her shoulder. "We'll rescue each other, Kouga-kun, okay?"

His mouth quirked in return. "Just don't tell dog-shi--I mean, Inuyasha."

The screams intensified behind her, and then came the crashing sound of something large collapsing.

"Hurry!" she urged, pulling Kouga around the corner of one of the outbuildings.

They had to get out of the courtyard. They had to get out of sight. If Envy was following them...

Unimpeded by human or youkai, all of whom seemed more worried about saving themselves than recapturing escaping prisoners, they passed through an inner gate which opened into the bailey courtyard. Kouga's legs were apparently healing themselves with supernatural speed, and he was starting to keep pace with her.

"There!" He tugged on her hand and pointed. A wooden door stood ajar in a small building that adjoined the innermost set of the castle's fortification walls.

They pushed the door open and stumbled into a dimly-lit chamber that looked like the castle's guardroom. No one was here, thank goodness--they must have all run outside when the alarm was first raised.

Kagome frantically bolted the door behind her, aware that it would provide minimal protection at best from the dragon, if it found them. Then she looked around her temporary refuge.

The guardroom was small, and dark, with stone walls and a tiny barred window high on one wall. It was furnished with a small ceramic charcoal stove filled with glowing coals. A pot of water boiled away and an uncapped canister of powdered green tea stood next to the stove, along with a collection of rough-glazed teacups, as if the room's occupants had been in the middle of a tea-break when they were interrupted.

The walls were hung with bits of armor and weapons of various kinds. Kouga didn't hesitate. He unhooked a quiver filled with arrows from the wall nearest him, and tossed it to her. "Here, catch!"

She made a desperate grab for the heavy, boiled-leather cylinder, trying to keep the arrows from spilling over the floor. Without waiting, Kouga turned away again, and freed the next item, a sturdy bamboo longbow. He thrust it toward her, and Kagome took it. It was unstrung, and larger than her usual weapon.

_Am I strong enough to string this myself?_ She thought, looking at it in dismay.

But...no. Kouga plucked it from her grasp, braced one end against his foot, and looped the waxed hempen bowstring effortlessly over the notch at the top of the bow. "Here you go," he said, handing it over. "I remember you're a pretty good shot."

"Thank you." The weight of the weapons in her hands was comforting. She didn't feel defenseless any more, even though... "Kouga-kun, these won't work against the dragon," she said. "He's not a youkai."

"Hn. That explains a lot," Kouga replied, sourly. "Well, use them against the others--I could swear that at least half the guards in this place are youkai. Weird to see them working with humans, though," he continued, frowning. "Though dog-s--I mean, Inuyasha works with humans."

"Have you seen him?" Kagome said, eagerly.

"What, him?" Kouga shrugged, then yielding to her entreating glance. "Yeah. Last night--that's how I knew where you were."

"So he knows where I am? And he's coming?" Kagome felt hope kindle like a flame in her chest, warming her. "And Sango? Miroku,too? A-all of them? Did you see Alphonse-kun? Was he...?" _All right? Not dead?_

Kouga nodded, hefting a long pole-axe and testing its balance before putting it aside. "Not sure which one was Alphonse-kun, but Inuyasha and your two friends, the monk and the youkai-exterminator, had three humans with them. They all looked kind of weird--said they were sorcerers, but I--"

"Oh, Kouga-kun!" Kagome interrupted him, hugging the quiver and bow tightly to herself. "Everyone's okay? I was so worried after Envy attacked us!"

"Yeah, yeah, they're fine," he said dismissively, which was encouraging in and of itself. "And they're coming, they're just slow-asses. They had some kind of fancy carriage with them, made of metal, but I didn't see or smell any horses or oxen."

_A car? How did they get hold of a car?_ Kagome wondered as the two of them waited in the shadowed guardroom, listening intently to the faint screams and other noises of destruction filtering in through the tiny windows. Her speculations were rapidly swamped in a rising flood of hope. _Inuyasha's coming for me!_

ooOoo

They drove all night, following the deeply rutted dirt track that was the road to Kasama, Edward occasionally and reluctantly yielding the wheel of the car to Alphonse or Souta so that he could catch catnaps.

Inuyasha seemed tireless at first as he raced ahead of them with his graceful leaps, but as the deepest hours of the night passed, Ed noticed that the hanyou was beginning to look tired, as well, and his grumbling protests whenever they were forced to stop to refill the car's water tank became pure formality.

"You could ride with us, you know," Ed offered casually, as he carefully poured a narrow stream of water from the bucket's spout into the tank. The sky was beginning to lighten now. Soon, they wouldn't need the car's headlights nor the lantern that stood next to the car.

"Keh!" Inuyasha, sitting under the nearest tree while Ed and Al worked as swiftly as they could, looked like he had been on the verge of nodding off. "Where would I sit? On that perverted monk's lap?"

Ed sighed. "You have a point. Al and I should have made the car a little bigger, but we were running out of time..."

"I'll be fine," Inuyasha insisted, but the lantern-light belied him. There were lines of weariness drawn tight around his mouth and eyes. "How much longer until we get going?"

"Just this bucket," Al answered, as he returned from the small roadside spring with its moss-grown carved stone basin, lugging a full container.

Ed noticed how Inuyasha turned his face away rather than acknowledge Al, and suppressed a small sigh.

Then he forced himself to focus on the matter at hand--how was he going to take down Envy, with his jewel-enhanced abilities, when Al and Souta were the only ones who could use the shards? That left Ed without a way to use his alchemy in situations that required instant reactions.

Their enemies were not the type to hang around and wait for Ed to draw a transmutation circle so that Al or Souta could push the jewel's energy through it.

_Damn it. _

He had to find a way to use his alchemy, and he had to do it fast. They were only a couple of hours away from Kasama Castle, if their maps were accurate.

Ed finished pouring, then stepped away so that Al could take his turn.

"Okay, folks," he said, loudly, when his brother had finished and was screwing down the cap on the tank. "The express train is now leaving from platform one!"

That won him a weak smile from Souta, a roll of Al's eyes, and blank confusion from the rest of his companions.

Inuyasha leapt to his feet. "Kagome," he breathed quietly, and Ed heard a world of guilt and longing in that single word.

"We're almost there," he said, just as quietly.

Inuyasha hesitated for the briefest fraction of a section--was that a look of gratitude in those golden eyes?-- before leaping lightly onto the roof of the car. He crouched there, bare toes flexing, his hands tucked into his sleeves. "I'll ride up here, and make sure you wimpy humans don't fall behind."

As Ed gaped at him, Miroku chuckled.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" demanded Inuyasha.

ooOoo

It seemed a like a long time before the sounds of Envy's rampage died away, and even longer before Kouga, whose senses were undeniably keener than Kagome's, turned away from his post at the door.

"I think it's over. You want to try and get out of here?"

_Would I ever!_ Kagome nodded gratefully. Slinging her quiver across her shoulders, she clutched her new bow with sweaty hands, and watched as Kouga cautiously unbarred the door and looked around.

He swore in surprise, and looked back at her. "You're not going to believe this--the bastard's destroyed his own castle!"

Kagome peered around him and saw that Kouga was not exaggerating. Many of the buildings in the inner courtyard had been reduced to broken beams, plaster fragments, and heaps of shattered blue-glazed roof-tiles. And the fortification walls had been knocked down in at least two places, allowing her to see that the damage extended well beyond this inner bailey.

"At least we'll have an easier time leaving," she said, pointing at the nearest gap in the wall.

Kagome prepared to step out of the guardroom. But before she'd taken more than one step--

"Stop!" Kouga whispered fiercely, and grabbed her shoulder, hard.

_I'm going to be covered in bruises after all this ends,_ Kagome thought, wincing. "What is it?"

"That bastard...he's right _here!_" Kouga pointed, and Kagome saw the end of a huge serpentine tail draped limply over a pile of broken beams. "Are you _sure_ your arrows don't work against him?"

Kagome blinked away a sudden memory of her arrow's mystic blaze guttering out like a dropped match, while Alphonse lay bleeding at her feet..._Al-kun's all right_, she told herself fiercely. _Kouga-kun saw him last night. He wouldn't have any reason to lie to me._

"I'm sure, Kouga-kun. I'm_ really _sure."

"Damn."

The two of them stared, frozen, at the scaly green length as long moments passed. It never moved.

Then, with a sick lurch of her gut, she understood what she had to do. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and stepped forward.

"Hey!" Kouga said in a low, but intense voice. "Where are you going, Kagome?"

"I-I have to find the jewel. A-and get it back." Her voice was shaking, and she wished it didn't sound just as unsure as she felt.

But she had to do it. It was her duty. Her responsibility.

She took another step, then another, stepping carefully over chunks of plaster and other debris littering the ground, using the bow to steady herself.

"Damn it, Kagome!" Kouga swore in a whisper behind her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him fall into place at her shoulder, and couldn't help smiling in relief. Her eyes never left the dragon's tail, which grew larger and larger the closer she drew to it. She murmured, "Thank you, Kouga-kun."

"Yeah, well, dog-face will never forgive me if I let something happen to you," he muttered grumpily, but his steps kept pace with hers.

She _could_ do this, she told herself. She didn't have a choice.

ooOoo

Envy lay sprawled and unmoving across the rubble of one of the castle's inner walls.

But was it a trick of some kind?

Kagome's heart was pounding so hard that she couldn't hear anything above the drumbeat in her ears as she crept closer to the dragon's supine form. Even Kouga's steady presence at her back didn't make her feel much better.

Having him here was better than trying to do this alone, though.

Step by cautious step, her breath rasping in her throat, she made her way forward.

Envy still didn't move.

She stopped an arm's-length away from him, trying her best not to pant in terror, and scanned his length. She quickly found what she was looking for--a large fragment of the Shikon no Tama, darkened with taint and sending out tendrils of miasma that coiled and wove their way around the dragon's celadon-green scales.

She stopped Kouga with a quick touch to his arm, and pointed silently at the pulsing shard embedded in the long neck. It was higher than she could reach, and she stared at it, chewing on her lower lip in frustration. S_o close!_

Kouga tilted his head, studying the fragment thoughtfully.

Then he knelt, and indicated silently that she should climb on his shoulders. She hesitated momentarily, looking between him and the dragon, then stepped forward. This might work!

She toed off her sandals and got into place, putting her hands on his head to steady herself. His dark hair was soft and thick beneath her palms, dusty and a tangled with a few fragments of dried leaves.

Intensely conscious of Kouga's hands wrapped around her ankles, steadying her, she balanced as he rose to his feet, then she stretched upwards.

Her fingers were almost touching the jewel when Envy let out a long sigh and loud whuffle.

She and Kouga both froze. If the dragon awoke now, nothing could save them.

After an endless moment of not even daring to breathe, and Kagome's heart pounding even harder, until she could feel her head throbbing in time, the dragon seemed to relapse into unconsciousness.

Kouga's fingers squeezed her ankle briefly. _Go,_ he seemed to say.

Kagome drew a shaky breath, and raised a trembling hand. The large fragment looked as if it was deeply sunken in Envy's flesh, and she wondered how she was going to remove it.

To her surprise and relief, the jewel dropped obediently into her palm as soon as her fingertips touched it. She closed her fingers around it tightly, worried that she would drop it in her shaky state, and the familiar tingle of purifying energy moved down her arm.

The jewel pulsed once, the dark smear of taint vanishing.

Carefully, Kouga lowered Kagome back to the ground. She stood for an instant swaying dizzily.

She glanced down at the jewel in her palm, nearly complete now, except for the three remaining shards. Two of them had been hers, but were had been lost when Envy abducted her. And one was embedded in Sango's little brother Kohaku, helping to sustain his life.

_I did it!_ she thought, disbelievingly. _I really did it!_

She turned to Kouga, ready to thank him for his help.

But he was staring up, an odd expression on his face. Kagome followed his glance, and saw that the dragon had awakened, its malevolent purple gaze still a little dazed-looking.

"Uh-oh," she said, faintly.

ooOoo

"What the hell happened here?" Inuyasha demanded, looking at the splintered remains of the castle's huge main gate.

There were bodies scattered here and there, some moving and some clearly dead, and the air reeked of blood and the pervasive musky stench of the dragon. It coated the inside of his nose and throat like thick, nasty slime, and made him feel nearly as nose-blind as he was when he was human.

He drew in a deep lung-full of the foul air, concentrating intensely for any hint of Kagome's warm, sweet scent, but it was impossible to discern.

Miroku, watching him, grimaced in sympathy. "Can you sense Kagome-sama?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "But I know she's here somewhere. She's _gotta_ be."

He started forward, and Edward grabbed his flowing sleeve. With an irritated snarl, he tried to shake off the obstacle, but Edward was predictably obstinate.

"Wait. I have an idea," he said, refusing to release his grip on Inuyasha's fire-rat jacket.

Inuyasha glared down at the annoying human who was preventing him from rushing off to find Kagome. "Fuck off. I've had enough of your _ideas._"

Edward glared back. "I see a castle filled with dead and injured youkai, and there's probably a crazy homunculus lurking around somewhere. Something bad just happened here, and your girlfriend's in there somewhere. We need a plan."

ooOoo

**Canon and Historical Notes**

_Jyaki_ - an evil demonic aura, a miasma

_youki_ - demonic aura or energy

As always, thanks to Ginny, aka **kokoronagomu**, for beta-reading!


	32. Hero

31

_Kasama Castle, 16th-century Japan _

The dragon slowly lifted his head, looking around, purple eyes unfocused.

Frozen to the spot, the pilfered jewel fragment clutched tight in her fist, Kagome just stood and stared up at his scaly length as her thoughts ran in panicked circles. _Awakawakeawakeohgodhe's looking right AT me!_

Behind her, Kouga growled something under his breath. His arm hooked around her waist, and pulled her toward him. Suddenly off-balance, she stumbled, and then her feet left the ground entirely as he threw her over his shoulder with preternatural strength and began to run.

Pain shot through her from the long half-healed wound on her chest and stomach. She nearly dropped the long bow and grabbed at it frantically, trying to keep it from slipping away entirely.

A series of absurdly inappropriate thoughts darted through her brain, dizzied by a heady mix of terror and adrenaline. _Mustn't drop the jewel._ _We left my sandals behind. Mustn't drop the jewel. Can't drop my bow. I guess Kouga-kun's legs healed up while we were waiting in that little room. My stomach hurts. Mustn't drop the jewel. When is Inuyasha coming?_

As they dodged around piles of rubble, she heard Envy's enraged roar behind her. "You little bitch--where's MY JEWEL?"

Kouga swore again and she felt him pick up his pace, his shoulder jogging even more painfully against her torso.

They ran through a gateway, and found themselves in yet another courtyard, this one relatively intact.

Then Kouga came to a sudden halt, all but throwing Kagome from his shoulder.

"What--" she began to ask, staggering as her tabi-clad feet hit the ground with a jarring thump. The arrows in the heavy quiver slung across her back rattled loudly.

Then she saw the reason--an_ oni,_ nearly three times Kouga's height, massively muscled and with protruding fangs that looked like boar's tusks, stood blocking the only other exit. It was armed with a club that looked as if it had been crudely fashioned from a tree trunk.

This courtyard was quite small compared to the others, and contained no structures other than a lidded well.

_Nowhere to hide this time._

Kagome threw a panicked look back the way they'd just come. No Envy--but she could hear him approaching, his path marked by the sound of falling rubble and the tinkle of roof tiles as they shattered.

"Give me the jewel, human, and maybe I won't eat you," the _oni_ rumbled.

Kouga stepped forward, his hand on his sword. "That's _my_ jewel and _my_ woman, you ugly beast," he sneered.

Kagome took a deep breath, hastily stuffed the jewel fragment she held into the only safe place she could think of--her bra--and reached for an arrow.

"You're both wrong," she said, her voice squeaking a little. "It's _my_ jewel, and you're in our way. Please move." She nocked the arrow and aimed, drawing the bow.

Kouga threw her a quick admiring glance, then turned his attention back to the _oni._ "You heard my woman. Move it, ugly."

The _oni_ snarled, which transformed its expression from scary to downright horrifying, and stepped forward. It began to raise its club.

Kagome adjusted her aim, and concentrated. "Go!" she told the nocked arrow, half a prayer and half a defiant shout, and released it.

It struck the _oni_ square between the eyes in a blaze of purification energy.

"Good shot, Kagome!" Kouga said exuberantly, as the arrow flared. The great bulk of the _oni_ toppled slowly sideways. "Now, come on!"

"Thank you, Kouga-kun," Kagome said, breathlessly. She didn't add:_ I was actually aiming for its heart._

Good enough was good enough, she told herself, hastily slinging the bow securely over one shoulder, where it bumped awkwardly against the heavy quiver.

She let Kouga grab her hand and pull her along as they squeezed around the rapidly-disintegrating bulk of the purified _oni,_ and went through the gate.

Another courtyard lay beyond, also undamaged. They were getting farther and farther away from main courtyard…and the gate leading to outside.

Behind them came the thud and crash of more walls coming down.

"He's gaining on us!" gasped Kagome. Even with Kouga towing her, she was having a hard time keeping up. Her sock-clad feet were bruised from the stones and debris, and a stitch was starting to burn in her side.

Kouga glanced down at her without breaking stride, his blue eyes serious. "I don't suppose you want to return my shards?"

Kagome shook her head. "I-I'm sorry," she panted, "But they've melded with rest of the jewel. And I don't want to break it again."

"Hn." He frowned, and Kagome wondered if he would try to take the jewel fragments away from her by force.

_But no…he'd never…would he? _Her thoughts tumbled against one another as she tried to force her tired legs to move faster.

Kouga just kept running tirelessly, pulling her along.

Another gateway, another unfamiliar courtyard, this one spread with muddy straw and smelling of horses and manure.

"Kouga-kun, we're heading the wrong way!"

He stopped, looked up at the sun and the many-storied bailey towering above them. "You're right. Shit."

He stepped close, and put his arm around her waist again.

"K-kouga--" Kagome began to protest, just as he said, "Time to find another way outta here!"

He sprang upward, carrying her with him, and landed on the roof of a wooden stable that leaned up against an inner wall. The uneasy whickering of horses floated upwards from inside the building. Another effortless leap, and they were balancing on the top of a wall.

Steadied by Kouga's arm, Kagome looked around the shattered maze of courtyards and outbuildings that surrounded the central bailey. Half the castle looked as if it had been hit by a bomb--many of the outbuildings lay in ruins, and the main courtyard was reduced to heaps of rubble.

Beyond the gates lay a large cleared slope of land. And parked in the middle of the clearing, looking utterly and absurdly out-of-place was--

"A car!" Kagome exclaimed. How did it get here? It had to mean her friends were nearby! "We've got to get over there--"

"Found you!" snarled Envy. His great, fanged dragon's head rose up over a nearby wall.

ooOoo

"You want me to…wait here and guard the automobile," Souta repeated, slowly, shameful relief warring with hurt pride.

Edward was drawing a transmutation circle on the back of Souta's left hand, the quick strokes of his fountain pen scratching lightly over Souta's skin.

"It's important," he insisted, but his gaze wouldn't quite meet Souta's.

"Important," repeated Souta again, ignoring the sensible voice in his head that was insisting that yes, it would be a very good idea to stay far, _far_ away from anything that could cause the amount of damage recently inflicted on the nearby castle.

Especially since Souta was currently armed only with an inked alchemy pattern on the back of his hand, a tiny fragment of a mystical jewel, and, oh yes, a small device resembling a Bunsen burner striker that Edward had transmuted for him using Miroku's flint and steel.

"We'd be screwed if--" Edward's glance slid sideways, to where Inuyasha stood impatiently, "um, _when,_ we find Kagome and the jewel but someone got here first and took our ride outta here."

He finished the circle, and reached for Souta's right hand to repeat the process.

"And so I am expected to wait here while a sixteen-year-old girl," he pointed at Sango with his chin, "and your little brother go and fight?" His voice rose with indignation at the last, and he fought to control himself.

"Look," Edward said, impatiently. "They're both trained for hand-to-hand combat. Sango's _good_--I sparred with her myself while Inuyasha was recovering. And Al--well, he usually wins against me, even when I'm going all-out."

The tip of his fountain pen dug into Souta's skin a little harder than Edward had perhaps intended, and Souta bit back a cry of pain. "Kagome's my niece, and I should--"

"Just do as you're told, Kagome's uncle," Inuyasha interrupted. "And stay with the fucking iron carriage. You know how to make it work, so if either of these two foreign bastards--" he jerked his head at Edward and Alphonse, "get themselves killed, you're going to have to get Kagome and the others outta here."

Edward's plan was surprisingly sensible: their group was to split up into teams of two to search the castle, armed with whistles that Alphonse had transmuted from wood. If anyone found Kagome, or encountered the dragon, they were to signal the others, and then either stand and fight or run like hell, depending on what the circumstances dictated.

Souta was the least experienced and weakest of the group, so he was going to stay behind.

Except no one had bothered to ask _him_ what he wanted to do, he thought sulkily.

His voice of reason countered that Inuyasha and Edward were both right--Souta might not be skilled in fighting or alchemy, but he _did_ know how to drive a car, a decidedly rare skill in the sixteenth century.

But it was still humiliating.

Souta reined in his pride and waited until Edward had finished inking the simple transmutation circle on his right hand. Then, very carefully as not to smear the still-wet ink on his skin, he reached into his waistcoat pocket and fished out his jewel shard.

"Here," he said, offering it to Edward. "You'll need this more than I will."

Edward's face reddened, and he suddenly become preoccupied in carefully screwing the cap back on to his fountain pen.

"You keep it," he said roughly. "I still haven't figured out how--I mean, I'll be sticking close to Al, and we can share his. We make a good team, you know." His odd golden eyes rose to meet Souta's at last. "And you've already learned more about alchemy than I thought you would--you might be able to use it to defend yourself if, uh, any youkai try to steal the car."

Souta gave him a small, respectful bow. "All right, _sensei,_" he said, only half-teasing. "I'll try not to shame your teachings if I have to transmute something."

Ed grinned back at him. "Here's hoping that you get bored waiting for us. But if you _have_ to fight, try not to wreck the car, okay?"

"Are you two gonna stand around and blab all day?" Inuyasha was all but bouncing on his bare, calloused heels. "There's something going on over there--I can hear it. If it wasn't for the dragon-stink cloaking this place, I'd already have found Kagome and kicked Envy's ass--"

"--by yourself. Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Edward called back, clearly not intimidated by the hanyou's glare. He rose from his kneeling position and looked down at Souta. "Be careful with trying the fire alchemy. It's...tricky. I'd go with transmuting a shield or another kind of weapon, first."

Souta nodded. "Good luck, Edward. Find my niece...and the dragon. My brothers are waiting for my return," he said, with as much calm dignity as he could muster, given that his palms were sweaty and his mouth dry with nerves.

He watched the odd group depart, their steps squelching across the muddy clearing, and wondered if Kagome was even still alive.

ooOoo

By agreement, they split up after passing through the main gates. Alphonse and Edward followed the walls around to the left to begin their search, and Sango and the monk went to the right, disappearing around the corner of a half-demolished building.

Inuyasha lingered in the main courtyard, trying to catch some scent, some clue as to what happened here.

He heard the distant sounds of dull thudding, male shouts, and the faint neighing of frightened horses, and tried to pinpoint their location, but it was impossible, distorted as the sounds were by multiple echoes from the maze of courtyards and passages surrounding the castle's central tower.

Where the hell was Kagome? _She's alive,_ he told himself, despite the presence of several human corpses flung like a child's toys. They had been guardsmen, by the looks of them, armed and armored. And now they were very, very dead. _She's got to be alive, and around here somewhere._

And both his hearing and his sense of smell weren't going to be much help in this place.

Damn the pervasive blanketing stink! Even the scents of recent blood and death were drowned in the overwhelming musky stench of dragon.

And where the hell was that wimpy wolf? Kouga should have arrived here hours ago, and as much as it galled Inuyasha to admit this, the wolf would have never left without Kagome.

Maybe they'd already escaped. Maybe Inuyasha and his companions were wasting his time here, surrounded by death and destruction, while Kouga took Kagome back to his mountain den, and….

Trying to quash this unsettling train of thought, Inuyasha stalked through the courtyard cursing silently and kicking bits of trash out of the way.

Kagome wouldn't just leave without at least saying goodbye, he told himself. She wasn't that kind of person, and they were friends, if nothing else.

No help for it, then. He'd have to search every inch of this miserable heap of rubble, and hope that Kagome--and the dragon--were still around here somewhere.

He had nearly completed his search of the area when a scrap of bloodied fur half-hidden by a heap of rubble caught his eye. It looked familiar--like one of Kouga's shin-guards, actually.

Inuyasha stooped and lifted the piece of fur to his nose. A quick sniff confirmed that it was indeed Kouga's.

His heart sinking, Inuyasha began to examine the scattered corpses more carefully. The youkai bodies were rapidly turning to dust, but if Kouga was among them, at least his characteristic kilt and armor would remain behind.

The arrogant wolf hadn't been a friend of his, not by a long shot, but Inuyasha found himself praying that Kouga hadn't been defeated and killed.

Because if he was dead, then what had happened to Kagome?

Another sound, this one a thudding crash like a collapsing wall, caught his attention.

Inuyasha began to run, trying vainly to figure out where the distant racket was coming from.

ooOoo

"Up ahead--the wall, Kouga-kun!" Kagome pointed at a breach in the castle's outer fortification.

He had given up trying to tow her along, and she was now riding piggy-back as he ran.

Even without the shards powering his legs, Kouga was every bit as fast as Inuyasha, and could make the same huge, effortless leaps over obstacles, but the ride was nowhere near as comfortable. For one thing, there was the armor, which bumped and bruised. And he was holding onto her legs much too tightly, his claws digging into the tender skin on the inside of her knees.

And he didn't smell _right_. Kagome missed the comforting feel of Inuyasha's fire-rat robes, his soft hair, and his scent.

She was being silly and ungrateful, she told herself, as Kouga raced for the exit. Kouga-kun had just saved her life several times in the last hour.

If it wasn't for him, she would have had no chance at all of outrunning their pursuer.

The dragon was drawing closer, using its great length to crawl up and over the walls separating the courtyards, heedless of what he crushed or toppled in his pursuit.

With a giant leap, Kouga sailed over the heap of broken stone that marked the gap in the outer walls.

He landed in the cleared ground outside the castle with a squelch and a spray of mud, skidded a little, trying to keep his balance with Kagome on his back, then found his stride again.

Behind them, Envy roared with triumph. Kagome heard the whoosh of his wingbeats, and realized that they had made a mistake leaving the castle. Out here, in the open, the dragon could take to the air and simply out-fly them.

Kouga must have come to the same realization, because she felt his pace increase. She clung to his shoulders for dear life, the bow and quiver bouncing against her back and shoulders, adding a whole new set of bruises to her already beaten body.

Then she saw Uncle Souta, standing by the car, apparently alone. Her heart sank.

_Where are the others? Where is Inuyasha? _

Souta caught sight of them, raised a whistle to his lips, and blew three sharp blasts. A pause, and he repeated the signal. And a third time, the bursts sounding rather desperate as they drew closer.

"Come on! Hurry!" he shouted, waving at them.

Kouga ran, his powerful strides throwing up large splashes of muddy water with each step.

Just as they neared the car, a familiar, hated voice said, "Why, if it isn't Kagome? I assume you've come for the same thing I have?"

It was Naraku, floating serenely in mid-air, deceptively handsome in flowing robes and trousers.

Several things happened at once.

Kouga came to a complete halt.

"Naraku, you bastard!" he shouted, dumping Kagome unceremoniously to her feet.

Naraku smirked down at him, his dark gaze lingering on Kouga's recently-wounded legs. "I see the dragon also robbed you of what was yours, wolf-prince."

Envy arrived at that moment. Kagome saw him hesitate momentarily as he caught sight of Naraku.

Then he went for Kouga, jaws wide and slavering, wings folded, his clawed forefeet throwing up clumps of grass and moist earth as he landed.

The wolf-prince dove and tried to roll out of the way. But Envy caught him in his jaws, and Kagome heard an unearthly screech of metal as the dragon's fangs skidded across Kouga's breastplate.

With a flick of his head, he sent Kouga flying across the clearing, and into a large tree.

"Usurping thief!" Naraku said, unleashing a blast of miasma at Envy.

The dragon gave a contemptuous chuckle, which quickly turned to hoarse paroxysms of coughing as the poisonous cloud surrounded him. The coughing fit distracted Envy long enough for Naraku to thrust a long bone spike into the dragon's side.

Envy screamed in surprise and rage as the weapon easily penetrated his scales. Apparently losing the jewel had weakened his defenses considerably.

And if that was true for Envy, then the same must also be true for Naraku, who had previously made himself nearly-invulnerable using his large fragment of the Jewel.

The fragment that was currently resting against Kagome's heart, tucked securely inside her miko's blouse.

_It's now or never,_ thought Kagome, unslinging her bow and grabbing for an arrow out of her quiver.

Her spiritual powers might not work against Envy, but Naraku was a whole different matter.

She nocked, aimed, and drew.

"GO!" she shouted, putting all of her will into the arrow, as it arched up, up, up...and struck Naraku in the torso as he twisted away at the last minute.

The lower half of his body exploded in a fiery flare of purification energy, and he screamed.

Dense clouds of miasma billowed, surrounding and concealing his wounds.

Envy, still coughing, and his scales shiny with dark blood around the spear embedded in his side, reached Naraku with a single beat of his wings.

His jaws snapped, and Naraku's left arm disappeared below the elbow in a spray of dark matter and a gruesome crunch.

Naraku abruptly levitated upwards, one tattered silk sleeve hanging empty.

"Another time," he snarled down at them. "I _will_ recover the Jewel. Count on it!"

Then he was gone, streaking towards the shelter of the trees like a dark comet, miasma trailing his wake.

Kagome sent another arrow his way, but it fell short as Naraku sped away.

"Why, thank you for your help, little girl," Envy said, turning his attention back to her. "For that, I'll kill you quickly, instead of dismembering you slowly, like I'd planned."

ooOoo

"KAGOME!" Souta heard Inuyasha's shout, and saw the red-clad figure leap to the top of the castle walls.

He must have heard the signal, Souta thought. _All the gods be thanked!_

Souta saw Envy's ugly head draw back, jaws widening, as Kagome reached for another arrow.

Her bowstring twanged, and the dragon screamed, an arrow sprouting from its eye. Envy lunged forward, and Kagome ducked with a scream.

His jaws closed over her quiver and pulled, jerking her up, dangling her like a puppet a foot off the ground.

Horrified, Souta watched her struggle. He felt rooted to the spot, his stomach filled with a giant icy lump of sheer terror. He was dizzy with panic and conflicting desires to flee and to fight. _I have to save Kagome! But how?_

Then the strap of Kagome's quiver broke, sending arrows tumbling over the wet ground, and she fell to the ground. She scrabbled frantically away on all fours, her red hakama and white blouse now thickly coated with mud, and dove around the other side of the car.

_Transmute a weapon,_ Edward had advised. But what kind of weapon could he possibly wield, to repel a monstrously large creature like a dragon?

Even fire alchemy wouldn't do much more than annoy it, thought Souta.

And Inuyasha was still too far away.

At least Envy was still ignoring him for now, in favor of playing cat and mouse with Kagome.

Souta's eye fell upon the expanse of churned mud and puddles before him, and inspiration struck.

Water was composed of hydrogen and oxygen. Electrolysis of water was a simple method of producing hydrogen.

And hydrogen gas was _highly_ flammable and would burn at concentrations of 4 or more in air.

He could do it!

Souta threw himself to his knees and placed one of his transmutation circle-marked hands carefully over the nearest puddle of water. His other hand closed around the pulsing shard of the jewel in his pocket.

He concentrated, willing its energies into the act of decomposition.

Blue energy crackled all around him, and the ground in Souta's immediate vicinity instantly dried up into bare, cracked earth.

Equations flowed past in his mind's eye, as he estimated the amounts of gas yielded per liter of water, calculated gas ratios and how rapidly the hydrogen gas, being lighter than air, would rise. He needed to ensure that Envy was completely enveloped for his plan to work...

_Now._ He pulled out the improvised flint-and-steel striker, and clicked it.

The world disappeared in a mighty roar of flame, and a wave of heat so intense that it felt like an icy blast of wind.

**Canon and Historical Notes**

**oni** - an ogre or evil giant youkai

**sensei** - respectful term for a teacher

A discussion with **feanorian** on LiveJournal sparked the idea of what might happen if an alchemist ever tried splitting an atom. I decided to pull back from that idea a bit, but I wanted to give credit where credit was due for inspiration.

As always, thanks to Ginny, aka **kokoronagomu**, for beta-reading!


	33. Vengeance

32 32. Vengeance

**Author's note:** **This story is going on hiatus for a couple of weeks, as I will be traveling around Japan. I'll be bringing a laptop with me, and I hope to post travel journals to my LiveJournal account: sharibet (dot) livejournal (dot) com.**

_Kasama Castle, 16th-century Japan_

Ed and Al discovered the drawbacks of carrying a jewel shard almost as soon as they started searching the castle: it attracted youkai.

Murderous youkai. Who would stop at nothing to steal the shard from two apparently defenseless humans.

Unfortunately for them, thought Ed savagely, Al had just figured out how to push the jewel's energy through to Ed.

Al put his hands on Ed's shoulders. "Hurry, brother!" Energy tingled through the layers of wool jacket and cotton shirt.

Ed grinned, and visualized what he wanted. Pole-axes would be good for poking or slicing, plus the long shaft would keep the nasties well away from them.

Two hand-claps, his mind reaching for the warm buzz of power flowing from Al's hands down to Ed's arms and into his mismatched hands, a sizzle of rose-colored transmutation, and both and he and his brother were armed and more than ready to take on all comers.

And then there was always the handy trick of transmuting the castle's stone to imprison particularly persistent youkai, thought Ed, leaving what looked like a giant snake with a weirdly-frilled head securely enclosed in what had been a courtyard wall and was now a youkai-sized cell for solitary confinement.

Even fighting as a team, it was still slow going through the castle. In the distance, Ed could hear crashes and bangs, and wondered if Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha were also beset with attackers, even without shards.

He and Al had just finished dealing with the giant snake thing when Ed heard three sharp whistle blasts, faint in the distance. That was Souta's signal to indicate he had found something.

Or rather, given that he was guarding the car, it probably meant that something had found _him_.

Almost as one, Ed and Al turned back the way they had come, and ran like hell for the castle's entrance.

ooOoo

Inuyasha cleared the outer walls of the castle with a single leap, and headed towards the confrontation with all of his superhuman speed.

His legs carrying him across the clearing--_but not fast enough_-- he watched in horror as Envy caught Kagome in his jaws.

His worst nightmare, come to life yet again: close enough to witness an attack upon her; too far, still _too fucking far away_ to do anything about it.

But Envy was going to be one dead bastard when Inuyasha got close enough to use Tetsusaiga.

He saw Kagome struggle free of the dragon's hold, then drop to the ground and scramble to shelter behind the iron carriage.

_Safe. For now at least. _

And in another moment, he'd be close enough to--

_Wait--what the hell is Kagome's uncle doing? _

Souta was confronting the dragon, surrounded by clouds of steam and the crazy lightning pattern of the foreign sorcery that Edward called "alchemy."

There was a sound like a gust of wind, and a huge, nearly colorless wave of flame engulfed Envy.

He shrieked in rage and pain as the air around him blazed. His scales sooty, his wings in singed tatters, and the arrow stuck in his eye flaming like a torch, he crashed ignominiously into the muddy clearing, sending up gouts of mud and uprooted grass as he tumbled neck-over-tail.

A moment later, what felt like a volcano's hot breath swept over Inuyasha.

The air stank of burnt flesh and scorched wool, and in the midst of a blackened circle of bare, desiccateddessicated earth sprawled the burning figure of a man.

_Fuck!_

Leaping forward, Inuyasha tore off his fire-rat jacket and wrapped it around Souta, frantically trying to smother the flames.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's tone was gratifyingly overjoyed.

She popped up from her hiding place behind Ed's iron carriage, and Inuyasha spared her a quick glance, just long enough to see that she was thankfully unscathed by the inferno.

"Oh, no! Uncle Souta!" She began to rush around the side of the iron carriage.

The dragon saw her and rose, albeit shakily, to his feet.

"Kagome, STAY THERE!" Inuyasha roared, straightening up from his firefighting efforts and ripping Tetsusaiga from its scabbard.

She froze, and he was grateful.

Souta was extinguished for now, though covered with terrible burns. But any other aid would have to wait until--

Tetsusaiga transformed with gratifying ease. Wielding his great sword, Inuyasha faced Envy. The dragon was not youkai, but maybe…

"Kaze-no-Kizu, you bastard!" he yelled, and unleashed the sword's attack at his opponent.

Envy recoiled as the concentrated burst of youki tore toward him, leaving behind its characteristic long gouges in the clearing. It reached the dragon and engulfed him in golden fire.

Nothing more happened. After long moment, during which both Inuyasha and Envy stood frozen, Envy began to laugh nastily.

Inuyasha clenched his jaw until his teeth ached. If Kaze-no-Kizu didn't worked, then he'd just use something else_._

_Kongousouha--the diamond fragments will rip right through the bastard's scales, and see if he fucking laughs at me then!_

"Hanyou," called Envy, still chuckling. "Is _that_ the best you can--"

He stopped speaking suddenly. A dull red glow began pulse inside of him, as if his flesh and scales had become translucent.

_What the hell--?_ Inuyasha stopped and gaped as the red glow intensified and Envy fell to the ground, writhing. He'd never seen Kaze-no-Kizu produce this kind of result before.

Envy shrieked, and the glow brightened, enclosing the dragon in a cocoon of blinding scarlet light.

There was an unpleasantly wet tearing sound, followed by the sharp scent of burning flesh.

Then the red glow disappeared, taking the dragon with it.

Inuyasha blinked at the mess of scorched, scarred earth in front of him. Envy was gone. Only his musky stink remained behind.

"Inuyasha! You did it!" Kagome cautiously made her way around the battered body of the iron carriage.

Her clothing was torn and blooded, her hair wildly disordered, and she was moving a little stiffly, but she looked essentially uninjured, though she reeked of wolf.

She was also grinning from ear-to-ear at him, and the look in her eyes was both grateful and admiring. Inuyasha took a step in her direction, fully intending to sweep her up in his arms, and surround himself in her beloved scent.

"Kagome-chan!" came the hated voice of Edward's younger brother.

Alphonse ran past Inuyasha, coming to a halt in front of her.

She looked at Inuyasha apologetically. He scowled and saw her shoulders slump a little just before he turned away.

"You're all right? Envy didn't hurt you?" Alphonse asked, stepping close and gazing down at her with worshipful fervor.

"Oh, I'm fine," she replied, giving him the same careful assessment that he had given her. "But what about you? The last time I saw you, you were bleeding, really badly--"

He waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, Brother took care of it," he declared, in a tone that implied that he believed his brother could do _anything_.

Kagome gave him a blinding smile, and Inuyasha decided to go elsewhere for a while. He told himself that his feelings weren't hurt, but sorcerer or not, _Alphonse_ hadn't been the one to defeat Envy now, had he? So why was Kagome standing so close to that tall bastard, and smiling up at him...?

He spotted Kouga sprawled under the trees some distance away. Maybe he should check up on the wimpy wolf, before he accidentally punched Alphonse and forced Kagome to use that fucking "osuwari" command on him.

ooOoo

Ed, following close on Al's heels despite his brother's longer legs, slowed down as he saw Al making a beeline for Kagome.

Inuyasha did not look happy about this.

Ed skidded to a halt near the car, which was scorched and dented but essentially still intact.

The clearing, though, looked as if it had been shelled by artillery. The area near the car looked weirdly desiccated, the grass yellowed and dried where it wasn't scorched black, and the dirt was cracked in a pattern like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Beyond the dry zone, Ed saw several arrows sticking up out of the ground, pockmarks of cratered earth, and three great gouges running parallel, to one another as if giant claws had raked the muddy meadow.

Behind him, he heard Alphonse saying something to Kagome, amidst alarmed exclamation from Miroku and Sango, as they, too, arrived, carried over the castle walls by a transformed Kirara.

The others clustered around Souta's fallen form, with Miroku taking charge of the injured man. Edward looked at the extent of Souta's burns, and felt a shiver raise gooseflesh on his arms. It was bad. _Ver_y bad...

Ed ignored them for the moment, looking frantically around. There was no sign of Envy.

_Where did that bastard go? _

Then a gleam of celadon-green on the ground caught his eye. Ed stooped, and slowly lifted a single, scorched dragon scale. _Wha--?_

He squinted a little, examining the ground, and saw other scales, as well as what looked like tiny chunks of carbonized meat, scattered elsewhere amidst uprooted clumps of grass and clods of dirt.

The dreadful truth began to sink in, and Ed suddenly found it hard to breathe. It felt like something was squeezing his chest, preventing him from drawing a full breath.

Envy was gone. Completely destroyed.

"Edward-san?" It was Kagome, hesitantly touching his arm. "Are you all right?"

"No, damn it!" he exploded. "What is this? How the hell are Al and I going to get home _now?"_

Kagome jumped back as if he had slapped her. "W-what do you mean?"

"Brother?" Al came up to stand next to her, looking both concerned and protective. "What happened?"

"Our whole expedition into medieval Japan just turned into a fucking _failure, that's what!"_ Ed's voice rose into an outraged shout. He thrust the scale at Al. "This is all that's left of Envy! He's gone, Al. Completely _gone!"_

"But-but Inuyasha was just trying to save our lives. Uncle Souta tried to use your alchemy, but Envy just kept coming, even when he couldn't fly any more," Kagome protested, her eyes flashing with temper, and her voice rising to match Ed's outraged tones. "Inuyasha _had_ to kill him! He was going to kill _us!_"

"Well, couldn't he have killed him _differently?"_ Ed yelled back, his fists clenching. "All we needed was his fucking blood!"

Kagome flinched, and Al stepped protectively between her and Ed. "Brother, that's enough," he said sternly. "This isn't Kagome-chan's fault."

And it wasn't. Ed let out a long breath, knowing he had just tried to bully a teen-aged girl. "Sorry, Kagome-san. I didn't mean to blame you--it's just that we're really stuck now."

Kagome's expression instantly changed to deep concern. "I'm so sorry, Edward-san, Al-kun, but we didn't even know whether Kaze-no-Kizu would work! I mean, Envy wasn't youkai, my arrows didn't work against him, and Inuyasha's sword uses an opponent's youki against them…"

"That _is_ odd, then." Al said, looking around the clearing. "I wonder--"

Kagome's brow furrowed in thought. "I saw Envy kill Chouko--she was my, um jailer, and a youkai-- and somehow absorb her youki. And from things I overheard from the other youkai while I was a prisoner, that wasn't the first time that he'd eaten one of his followers."

"His red stones," breathed Ed, his mind racing. "They were an incomplete form of the Philosopher's Stone, created by killing people and collecting their life-energy with a set of special transmutation circles."

"How many people?" Kagome looked horrified.

"A lot," Ed answered. "You don't want to know, believe me." He pushed down dark memories of exactly how he had discovered this fact--and how close he'd come to colluding in the creation of the stone. "If Envy was killing youkai here, then maybe his red stones were infected with youki, and that's what reacted with Inuyasha's, uh, what did you call it? Kaze something?"

Kagome nodded. "Kaze-no-Kizu. That would explain it. But, Edward-san--"

"Yeah, it doesn't really matter why it happened," Ed concluded, glumly. "We're still screwed."

ooOoo

He was cold _So cold_...

Souta was floating in a vast, icy sea. It was dark, and the only sound he could hear was the harsh, rattling rasp of his own breath. His nose was filled with the overwhelming smell of smoke and burning things.

Gradually, he became aware of voices. At first, the words flowed around him in an incomprehensible rise and fall of tones, but soon, he began to pick out words, then phrases.

"--told him he shouldn't have...fire alchemy--too dangerous--" Ah, that frustrated tone and the rapid-fire, accented Japanese. _Edward._

"Will he be all right?" Kagome's voice was earnest, and pitched low with worry.

A murmur of reply in a man's calm voice. Miroku. But what was he saying? Something about damaged lungs and extensive burns...

Oh. He was dying.

Instead of fear, Souta felt only annoyance. He had fought the monster--and won. He couldn't die now! And what would happen if he couldn't return home to 1925?

"--brothers--" he forced the words out, trying to get his throat to produce a sound louder than a whisper. No luck.

But Kagome heard him. "Uncle Souta?" she said, her voice much closer now, as if she were sitting or kneeling next to him.

"Brothers," he whispered again, trying to convey all of his fears, his frustration in that single word. "Ikeda."

"Don't worry, you'll--" Kagome stopped speaking abruptly. After a moment, her voice sounding oddly hoarse, she said, "I promise I'll go back, Uncle Souta, and tell them all that--that you're a hero."

"And I'll make sure that creep Ikeda and his secret police buddies leave your family alone," Edward added.

"Promise?" It was getting harder to speak, and Souta barely heard his own voice over the roar and rush of the black arctic waves lapping at his soul.

"I promise," Edward said firmly.

_Good._ Too tired to tread the waters of consciousness any longer, Souta let go, and slipped beneath the dark surface.

It was cold, but it didn't hurt at all.

ooOoo

Kagome stared at her great-uncle in disbelief as he gave a long, rasping exhalation, and then didn't draw breath again. _He can't be--_

"Uncle Souta!" She leaned forward, intending to apply what first aid she could to his poor, burned body. His hair had vanished in the blaze, and his face and scalp were covered with ugly, charred burns.

But he wasn't dead. Not yet. She could still feel the lingering presence of his soul. She cringed at the thought of touching him, and hurting him, but she had to at least try CPR...

"Kagome-chan, don't." Al put a hand on her shoulder, restraining her. He was standing very close, as if hesitating whether to give her a hug or not.

She hoped he wouldn't. She wished Inuyasha were here. "But he's not dead yet, Al-kun!" she said, appealing to him. "You have to help me!"

The jewel fragment tucked into her blouse pulsed. Kagome whirled, and saw that Uncle Souta's body was glowing with gentle, rose-colored light.

Then Souta vanished, and the light died away.

"What happened to him?" Al asked.

"I don't know," Kagome said, placing one hand over the now-quiescent jewel.

ooOoo

Miles away, the Bone-eater's Well blazed with rose-colored light, as if the time-slip were opening for a new traveler. The birds in the surrounding woods fell silent, as if in anticipation.

But no one entered, and no one appeared. In a moment, the light died away, and Inuyasha's Forest gradually returned to normal.

ooOoo

The sun was up, though the mountains still cast long shadows and morning mist concealed the rice paddies in the valley below.

Kohaku sat on a rickety wooden bench that had been placed next to a tiny, equally-rickety wooden roadside shrine, eating a hasty breakfast of onigiri flavored with salted plum paste. He longed for a cup of hot tea, but Kikyo-sama had been traveling at a relentless pace since learning of the Shikon-no-Tama's possible location and Kohaku decided, regretfully, that it would take too long to gather materials for a fire, kindle it, and boil water.

As it was, he felt guilty for needing this rest stop at all, so he was taking large bites of the cold, sticky rice ball in his fist, chewing and swallowing as fast as he could, spurred by regret that the weakness of his mortal body was slowing them down. He knew that his companion could have walked tirelessly all day and all night, her smooth strides never faltering.

He and Kikyo had been traveling steadily north for several days. During that time, the road had gradually narrowed, until it was just a rutted track leading up through the mountains.

As they drew closer to Kasama Castle, they encountered villagers and fellow travelers who told them increasingly-lurid stories about the domain's terrifying new lord, who alternately took the form of a foreigner and a green dragon. All the stories mentioned a magical jewel worn by the lord and coveted by the youkai who flocked to his court.

Courteous as ever, Kikyo was standing on the other side of the mountain road, her back turned to him as she waited patiently for Kohaku to finish his breakfast. She gazed north with a troubled expression.

Since dawn, they had seen an unusual number of youkai fleeing south, many badly wounded and all of them giving Kikyo and Kohaku a wide berth. Kohaku could only speculate what happened to them.

Kikyo frowned, then silently strode away to investigate something. In a moment, she had vanished behind a screen of bushes growing alongside the road

Kohaku watched her leave without alarm. She would return for him. She always did.

He had just extracted a second onigiri from its protective wrapping of leaves when the jewel shard embedded in his back gave a dull throb, sending a wave of sick heaviness through Kohaku's limbs.

Oh, he remembered this sensation all too well...

"Naraku!" he managed to gasp, before invisible fingers closed around his throat, choking off air and sound.

He felt himself topple off the narrow bench, and felt an instant of regret for the rest of his breakfast as it plopped into the mud next to him.

The acrid stench of miasma surrounded him like the exhalation of a thousand rotting corpses, sparking terrible memories of the time when he had been enslaved by Naraku, his free will and memories submerged. He had killed and maimed at Naraku's orders, bathed in the blood of humans and youkai alike, suspended in a timeless continuum where each moment was dictated only by his master's will. Even _ane-ue_ had not been safe from him.

He thought he had since freed himself from his servitude, his presence at Kikyo's side keeping his shard free of taint and Naraku's influence, but--

"I have need of you, Kohaku," said that familiar, hated voice.

Kohaku was surrounded by the dark cloud, and lifted by invisible hands. His throat and lungs burned with each sobbing gasp of air around the strangling grip, and he was nearly blinded by tears flowing from his stinging eyes.

He blinked madly, and saw Naraku floating nearly face-to-face with him. There was something wrong with Naraku--his body seemed misshapen somehow, and one sleeve hung empty and torn.

Naraku smiled, his eyes cold and unblinking in that inhumanly handsome face. "The shard I loaned you some time ago--I have need of it, Kohaku."

Kohaku watched with horror as a tentacle, as pale and slimy as the grubs found in rotten logs, emerged from Naraku's chest.

If his shard was removed, Kohaku would die.

He knew he deserved no less for all of his sins--murder, patricide, betrayal--but did _not_ want his death to aid Naraku in any way.

If he could only reach his weapon, he would sever the tentacle snaking swiftly toward him…

Kohaku strained against the deathly cold radiating from his shard, willing his right arm to move, to grab the chained scythe tucked through his belt.

But his numbed limbs refused to obey him.

The tentacle sped by Kohaku's ear, and he felt it press against the place between his shoulders where his life-giving shard was embedded. Despite its soft appearance, the tentacle was as hard and sharp as a fang at its end. It dug relentlessly against his armor.

_I have to move! _Kohaku screamed silently, throwing all his will into moving his arm. Sweat began to prickle on his temples and under his arms, but he failed to even twitch his fingers.

Not that he could _feel_ his fingers. The control exerted by Naraku though the shard was deadening all sensation. Kohaku knew from bitter experience that next would come the deadening of his emotions, then his reason, and finally his memories--_if_ Naraku let him live that long.

Not that he would. The fang broke through the armor at last, and scraped against skin. Kohaku knew his shard was going to be removed in another moment.

"Naraku, it seems you lost the Shikon no Tama," came Kikyo's voice from somewhere behind Kohaku. Her tone was cool, almost disinterested. "And yet you dare to confront me without your shields and barriers? Are your injuries so grave that they drive you to such a desperate act?""

Kohaku saw Naraku's eyes widen, and the tentacle trying to pierce Kohaku's back stilled, "Kikyo!"

"Fifty years ago, you took advantage of my weakness," she continued, as if he had not spoken. "And now I will take advantage of _yours_, and finally end this cycle of death and violence. Farewell, Naraku."

"Kikyo, no! I want to--" Naraku flung his remaining arm out in a desperate gesture, and Kohaku saw dozens of new tentacles pushing through the tattered remains of his once-fine clothing.

An arrow, blazing with spiritual energy, streaked forward, and Naraku's arm disintegrated at the shoulder. "You bitch! How _dare_--"

A second arrow fired in rapid succession penetrated his heart, and a third blew his head apart.

The cloud of miasma vanished, as did the force holding Kohaku aloft and immobile. He managed to get his feet under him, and landed upright.

A few lumps of Naraku's flesh, still writhing, fell to the ground at his feet. He stepped backward in disgust, and reached for his weapon. He would pulverize the disgusting things!

"Kohaku, wait."

He stopped, and Kikyo came forward quickly. She knelt, heedless of mudstains, her bow placed carefully across her knees to keep it dry.

"So much hatred. So much anger. So much jealousy," she murmured, stretching out her hands. "Be at peace, Naraku. Want nothing. Feel nothing."

Light poured from her fingertips, surrounding the remains. They blazed brightly for an instant, like paper flaring in a fire, and then vanished.

"Fifty years," she whispered, still kneeling. "Time--more than time--for all of us to find some peace."

Then she rose to her feet in one smooth motion and examined Kohaku. "You are uninjured?"

He nodded, his throat still feeling raw from the miasma he had inhaled. But he could walk, and that was the important thing.

"Come then. We must continue on to the castle, for the puzzle of the missing Shikon-no-Tama can only be solved there."

ooOoo

**Canon and Historical Notes **

**Kaze-no-Kizu - **translated as Wound of the Windin the official US release of the anime and manga. One of Tetsusaiga's attacks, that sends out waves of destructive energy that can slay a hundred youkai in one strike

**Kongousouha** - translated as **Adamant Barrage** in the official US release of the anime and manga. One of Tetsusaiga's attacks, which sends showers of sharp diamond fragments hurtling toward an opponent

**osuwari - **a Japanese command to tell dogs to sit.

**onigiri** - a traditional Japanese food--sticky rice molded into a ball or triangle, and stuffed or flavored with a variety of ingredients.

**ane-ue** - an extremely respectful term for a older sister

As always, thanks to Ginny, aka **kokoronagomu**, for serving as my beta-reader and slayer of continuity glitches!


	34. The Priestess and the Alchemist

_Kasama Castle, 16th-century Japan_

Uncle Souta was..._gone_.

Kagome stared numbly at the place where he'd vanished. She didn't even know if he was dead, but he had certainly been very badly injured. _Those burns..._her stomach gave a lurch at the memory.

Something gleamed in the patch of dry, cracked earth, and Kagome felt the familiar presence of a Jewel shard.

Puzzled, she reached for the tiny fragment half-buried in the dirt. Uncle Souta must have been standing right on top of it when he produced the fire that had brought down Envy...but where had it come from?

"He left his jewel shard behind," Al said.

He stood close to her, his hand hovering uncertainly in the air, as if he wanted to touch her, but didn't quite dare.

Kagome blinked up at him. _What?_

Her bewilderment must have shown in her face, because he continued: "Kagome-chan, we found your vial, with the shards, after Envy kidnapped you. And we discovered that Professor Higurashi could use it to power a transmutation circle. Just like the two of us did, that day at the house..."

He paused, and she nodded, remembering how together, they had transformed the rice crackers into a perfect statuette of a horse. This was followed by immediate relief that her shards hadn't been lost, after all.

"So, that's how Uncle Souta managed to..." _Make a spectacular fireball. Drive off the dragon. Kil--_ "But, alchemy? How did he know--?"

"Brother and I taught him a little. He really wanted to learn." Al's normally cheerful freckled face was solemn. "He wanted to help rescue you. And he probably saved all of us—I'm not sure any of us could have fought against Envy without alchemy."

_Inuyasha did._ But she didn't speak her thought out loud.

"Look," Al continued. "I have your other shard. I hope it's okay if I keep it for a while longer—"

"Al! Need your help here!" Edward's distant voice called, urgently. He was standing near the castle's shattered main gate, using a long pole-axe to fend off what looked like a giant rat.

Nearby, Miroku and Sango were battling an insectoid youkai with far too many legs and large mandibles.

"Professor Higurashi was a real hero." With a gentle squeeze to her shoulder, Al ran to help his brother with the dispersal of the castle's remaining youkai, who were no doubt hoping to get their hands on the Jewel shards once again in Kagome's possession.

_A real hero..._ Poor Uncle Souta! He had seemed so out of place here. It didn't seem fair that he was—he was—

_Dead. _

Kagome knelt there for a long time, her fingers curled tightly around the shard, feeling the sharp edges dig into her skin, feeling that she ought to at least cry a little over her great-uncle's disappearance (_not dead not dead not dead_), feeling she should be helping her friends cleanse the castle.

But she couldn't make herself move. She was tired...and cold...but mostly just tired. And the tears never came. She was as dry as the earth beneath her knees, drained of all life, all moisture.

_Oh, Uncle Souta, I'm so sorry you were dragged into this. And what am I going to tell your brothers?_

She sighed, feeling hollow and useless, and couldn't make herself move despite the distant sounds of fighting and the conflicting sparks of youki and Miroku's purifying energy.

After a while, she felt the tingle of a familiar youki against her senses.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha's rough voice was low with unaccustomed gentleness. "Are you all right?" He frowned down at her. "I can smell blood."

"I'm..." --_all right,_ she started to say, but the words wouldn't come. "I..."

A shudder wracked her, then another, melting into continuous shivering. Her teeth began to chatter.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha's hands were very warm as they lifted her to her feet. "Are you hurt? What did that bastard Envy _do _to you?"

She stared at the front of his scarlet fire-rat jacket, trying to get control of herself. His grip tightened around her upper arms, holding her upright.

"N-nothing," she managed to stutter between her chattering teeth. At his disbelieving scowl, she added: "It's j-just a scratch. B-but I'm—I'm c-cold."

He released her abruptly, and she felt a stab of disappointment. _I'm weak,_ she thought. _He's probably--_

A warm, slightly prickly soft weight settled over her, and before she had quite registered that Inuyasha had draped his jacket around her shoulders, his arms came around her, and drew her against him in a strong embrace.

She leaned into his chest with a grateful sigh, wrapping her arms around his torso. His skin was hot through the cream-colored silk of his _juban_...and he smelled like, well, himself. It was comfort and strength and rough kindness.

Her teeth stopped chattering after a while, and her shivering began to subside as his body heat seeped slowly into her own chilled flesh. She relaxed.

_Mmmmm,_ she thought, drowsily. _I've been cold for days. I'm so tired..._

"Kagome?" His voice shivered up from the bones and muscles of his chest, vibrating against her cheek and ear. "Are you _sure_ you're all right?"

"Fine," she murmured. Talking felt like a lot of work, but she had to reassure him. "This is the first time I've felt warm since Envy captured me."

His arms tightened around her shoulders, and she felt his breath puff against the top of her head.

"Me, too," he said, so softly that she might have missed it if she hadn't been pressed against him from cheek to hip. His arms tightened fractionally, and she felt his cheek press against her hair. She felt so safe. Cared-for. Loved.

_Loved?_

She remembered how it had been in Kaede's hut, after Edward had drained his youki. Sleeping at his side, waking with his arms around her—it had felt right. Comfortable and, just..._right._

"Inuyasha?"

"Hm?"

_I love you._ She struggled to compose her thoughts. "Uh, thank you for saving me," she said, at last. It sounded lame, even to her.

_"He_ didn't save you," said Kouga, from behind her. _"I_ did!"

Kagome started in surprise, and Inuyasha instantly released her, almost pushing her away. She missed his touch immediately, and drew his jacket tightly around her.

"Of—of course, Kouga-kun," she heard herself say, polite even when on autopilot. "I'm sorry."

She heard Inuyasha growl, very softly, from his place at her shoulder, and saw Kouga grin maliciously.

"I, um," she continued, feeling the silent, jealous anger simmering from the hanyou standing at her side.

True, she _did _owe Kouga for helping her in the castle. On the other hand, Inuyasha had actually killed the dragon...

She felt Inuyasha's arm press gently against the small of her back, and his hand come to rest on her hip. "What I really meant to say was—"

Kouga rescued her from her floundering. "Eh, no problem, Kagome. Just wanted to make sure you remembered which one of us really was the hero here!" His grin faltered as he met Inuyasha's glare. "I gotta go—Naraku's still out there, somewhere. Take better care of my woman this time, dog-face."

"You bastard, she's _not_—" Inuyasha began, angrily and right on cue.

His point apparently made, the rather battered-looking wolf-prince waved cheerily at her. "Bye, Kagome! See you soon!"

And he turned to go, still limping a little.

"Thank you, Kouga-kun! For everything!" she called after him, and without breaking stride, Kouga gave her another wave.

"Good riddance," muttered Inuyasha, not quite under his breath, not releasing his hold on her hip.

* * *

It was nearly noon before the last of the youkai left Kasama Castle, and the group was able to cease their efforts.

By that time, Kagome had managed to recover somewhat from her state of shock and exhaustion. It took her some time to find her bow where it had fallen under the weird-looking automobile that Edward and Alphonse had built. Once she found it though, she joined in the efforts to drive away the lingering remnants of Envy's youkai retainers.

Envy's surviving human guardsmen, the one who had called themselves the Sons of the Dragon, limped away on the road leading south to Edo, swearing never to forget their master, and vowing to remain loyal to his memory forever.

This was the sort of stuff that historical movies in Kagome's time made a big deal about, but when confronted by the real thing, she found herself suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

Edward didn't bother showing the same restraint as the last of the men shuffled off with defiant mutters.

"Damn it, why are people so stupid?" he demanded of Kagome, as she handed him a cup of cloudy green tea made from _matcha_ powder. "I mean, they lived with Envy for _months._ Couldn't they see what he was?"

Miroku, standing nearby, shrugged. He looked as exhausted as Kagome felt. She supposed none of them had gotten much sleep the night before.

"I don't know, Edward-sama," Miroku answered for her. "But I think their reverence will probably flourish in the dragon's absence." He smiled cynically.

Kagome nodded. "They'll probably forget all about the fact that he used to go crazy and eat everything—and everyone—in sight," she added bitterly. "Chouko told me about it...before Envy ate _her. _AndI saw it with my own eyes." A thought struck her. "It makes me wonder about the group that Ikeda-san belongs to, though."

"The Sons of the Dragon," Ed breathed, his expression wavering between triumphant and appalled.

"No wonder they wanted Envy so badly!" exclaimed Al, as he walked up to the tiny fire that Kagome was using to heat water.

He picked up a clean tin mug from the assortment that Kagome had found among the other supplies in the car. Kagome measured out a careful spoonful of tea powder, and filled the mug from the steaming kettle.

"What are we going to do?" Kagome blurted, giving voice to the anxiety that had been unsettling her stomach and sending her thoughts in dizzying circles all morning. "That horrible Ikeda-san...if we return without the dragon...what will happen to my other uncles?"

She saw Inuyasha hunch slightly at his words, and felt guilty. She hadn't meant to remind Inuyasha that he had been the one to utterly pulverize the dragon, but still, they had a problem.

"And what's gonna happen to us?" Ed muttered. "The way I see it, we're either going to have to stay _here,_" he jerked his chin at their surroundings, "or go back to 1925. It's a choice between bad and worse," he finished glumly.

"Especially if we return to 1925 empty-handed," sighed Al. He took a sip of his tea, grimaced, and hastily put the mug aside.

There was a short silence as Ed stared thoughtfully off into the middle distance. Kagome could almost hear the gears turning in his brain. She found herself chewing her lip anxiously, and tugged at the neck of Inuyasha's jacket, which was threatening to slide off her shoulders.

It was too big on her, even wearing it with the long bell-like sleeves detached and tied around her waist in a makeshift sash. Inuyasha had insisted that she keep it for now, and given the torn and bloodied state of her blouse-like _chihaya_, she had made only the faintest of polite protests.

Alphonse was now giving this addition to her attire a frowning glance. Kagome saw him meet Inuyasha's level stare for a long moment before turning away. Inuyasha smirked, and Kagome felt her cheeks grow hot.

So maybe a concern for her health and modesty hadn't been the only reason for Inuyasha insisting that she wear his clothing... Kagome sighed at this none-too-subtle mark of possession, but decided she didn't really mind. Maybe Alphonse would back off a little.

Or maybe it would just make him try harder.

She sighed again. Alphonse turned his attention back to her, his hazel eyes concerned. "Kagome-chan, are you all right?"

Before she could answer, Ed sprang to his feet. "I've got it! I know how we can bring Ikeda a dragon!"

Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged worried glances, both having learned to regard Edward's fits of enthusiasm with deep suspicion.

"Brother, I don't know--" Alphonse began, frowning doubtfully

"Edward-san, you don't have to—" Kagome said, at the same time.

He shook his head. "I do! I'm responsible for a lot of this mess. After all, it's my fault that Envy ended up in this world, and in Tokyo, and that Professor Higurashi was forced to come along...and it's my fault for teaching the Professor just enough to alchemy to really hurt himself. Damn it!" he swore, his voice dropping to a whisper on the oath, as if he were cursing himself. He looked at Inuyasha. "I want to make things right for the Professor's family...but I'll need your help."

Inuyasha scowled, and began to edge away with a wary air.

"It doesn't involved alchemy this time," Ed added hastily. "Just some heavy lifting."

Alphonse cocked his head. "Brother, what on earth—?" He blinked, as if struck by sudden realization. "Wait, you're not seriously thinking of using that serpent youkai?"

Inuyasha's scowl deepened. "What serpent youkai?"

"There are still youkai left in this area?" Sango and Miroku said in one voice, each looking equally worried.

Ed raised his hands placatingly. "A really big snake youkai could pass as a small dragon, couldn't it?"

"Only if you're an idiot," growled Inuyasha, looking more wary than ever.

"Look, there's this really huge youkai that gave us trouble at the castle," Ed explained hastily. "It was really persistent about wanting to steal Al's jewel shard. I finally had to shove it into a box to get it to leave us alone."

"A box?" said Sango, disbelievingly. "You put a youkai—a large youkai—into a _box?_"

"Well, it was more like a cage," Al interjected, hastily. "Made of solid stone."

"Which is why we need him," Ed pointed at Inuyasha, who was trying, futilely, to hide behind Sango, "to help us. Carry it out of the castle and load it onto the car."

"We may need to strengthen the roof first, Brother," said Al. "And the suspension."

"Mere details," Ed said, airily. "But that youkai--it's big, it's got scales, it's got fangs--if you're someone like Ikeda, what more do you need?"

"What do I look like? A pack-horse?" demanded Inuyasha.

But Kagome noticed that he had stopped trying to scrunch down behind Sango, who was observing the conversation with an interested air.

"You look strong," Ed said, craftily. "Really, _really_ strong."

Kagome had to smother a laugh as Al got into the act.

"I don't know, Brother," he said, very carefully not looking at the hanyou. "I mean, thanks to _you,_ Inuyasha-san was in a coma just a few days ago. This might be too much for him—"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha stomped over to glare at Alphonse. His belligerent pose was somewhat spoiled by the fact that he had to tilt his head back to look up at the much taller alchemist. "I'm not some wimpy human!"

"Prove it," said Al, holding his ground.

"Fine," snapped Inuyasha. "I'll go get your stupid snake-in-a-box."

Kagome and Sango exchanged glances.

_Must not laugh,_ Kagome told herself, sternly trying to suppress the giggles that rose like soda bubbles as Inuyasha strode off towards the castle, the two Elric brothers in tow.

Miroku didn't bother to try and hide his grin. "Every time," he said. "It works on him every single time."

Then he paused, and flexed his hand, staring at it.

Kagome noticed that his face had gone a sickly pale under his tan.

"Houshi-sama, wh--" Sango began, having evidently noticed the same thing.

With a sudden, violent gesture, he tore off the rosary sealing his cursed hand, and pulled away the gauntlet.

His palm was whole again, unmarred. The Kazaana had vanished utterly.

"This is a trick," Miroku said, his voice a strained whisper. "A trick. It _has_ to be! I won't be fooled."

But he couldn't tear his gaze away from his hand.

"It's Naraku," Kagome said, quietly, hardly able to hear her own voice over the hammering of her heart. But certainty had settled into her soul, resonating like the sound of a great gong. "I think he's dead."

* *

While they waited for Inuyasha and the Elric brothers to return, Kagome told Sango and Miroku about her rather bewildering period of captivity in the castle.

In return, the monk and the youkai-taijiya related all that had happened after Kagome's abduction, including Ed's miraculous healing of his brother's injuries, and Uncle Souta's desperate insistence on trying to learn alchemy.

Miroku was understandably distracted by his hand, studying the palm, now whole again.

He refused, however, to believe Kagome's assertion that Naraku was dead, and Kagome, without any proof except for the absence of the Kazaana and her own strange conviction, didn't insist.

After about an hour, Inuyasha, Ed, and Al returned.

Inuyasha, too, greeted the surmise of Naraku's death with skeptical protest--"Bastard's always been too tough to kill before," was his comment.

"But he didn't have the Jewel with him this time," Kagome countered, then dropped the subject when Inuyasha's doubtful expression turned mulishly stubborn.

If Naraku was really dead, they'd hear the news soon enough, she told herself. In the meantime, they had to deliver a dragon--or at least a reasonable facsimile of a dragon--to that horrible Ikeda-san in 1925.

As promised, the snake youkai was indeed enclosed in a sturdy--and extremely heavy--stone box, now embellished (thanks to more of Ed's alchemy) with air-holes and a hinged end fastened with a baroque-looking lock.

After a hasty removal of the knapsacks tied to the roof of the makeshift automobile, Inuyasha heaved the stone box up there.

The roof began to sag, and the automobile creaked alarmingly under its weight, and Ed was forced to hastily transmute a set of wooden supports to keep the roof from caving in.

Alphonse did not say "I told you so," out loud, but his smirk was eloquent enough.

After a hasty conference between Ed and Al, a second transmutation beefed up the car's axles and suspension system.

Then the car began to slowly sink into the muddy ground it stood on.

Wearing identical horror-stricken expressions, Ed and Al sprang into action.

When their initial attempts to drive the car to a more solid piece of ground resulted only in the tires digging deeper and deeper ruts, Inuyasha stepped forward. With much grumbling, he joined Al at the rear bumper, and pushed, enabling Ed to drive it up onto the patch of rock-hard dried dirt where Envy had met his demise.

"What now?" asked Miroku, around another cup of tea, when all of these operations had been completed.

Kagome smothered a yawn, and wondered how the others would react if she suggested taking a nap before doing anything else.

She was happy to discover that Sango, at least, shared her sentiments. According to what Sango and Miroku had told Kagome, none of the others had gotten any sleep the night before in their efforts to reach the castle.

"There's a village in the valley down there," Sango said, pointing. She brushed at her mud-spattered leather armor with a moue of distaste. "Perhaps we can get a hot bath and lodgings for the night."

"Yes, please!" Kagome added, eagerly. She had the sinking feeling that either Ed or Inuyasha would veto the idea in favor of forging ahead, though.

In fact, Ed did look ready to protest, but Inuyasha surprised her. "And we can make sure that someone looks at your wound, Kagome." His tone brooked no argument.

"We have a first-aid kit," Kagome said, smiling gratefully at him. "But a hot bath and some clean clothing would be wonderful."

She saw Ed and Al trade looks, then Al nodded slightly.

"That sounds like a good idea, Sango-san, Kagome-chan," said the younger alchemist.

"But then we'll head back to the well tomorrow," Ed interjected, his tone wavering somewhere between a question and a command.

* * *

The village in the valley below Kasama Castle was a prosperous place, with many cottages surrounded by large rice paddies, and an impressive Inari shrine with finely-carved guardian kitsune statues flanking a large, red-painted torii gate.

To Inuyasha's relief, the villagers were overjoyed to hear that their strange, terrifying daimyo was no more, though Inuyasha's tell-tale hanyou ears and clawed hands got a number of searching looks while Miroku and Kagome were telling the story of Envy's demise.

In return, the shrine's priest and the village headman spoke of the terrifying massacres that had occurred at irregular intervals, when their lord had changed shape from human to dragon, and no one had been safe. These events had naturally scared pilgrims away from visiting the shrine, so times were growing hard for the priest and his family.

Despite the suspicious looks directed at Inuyasha, the threat of two foreigners and a hanyou were apparently offset by the presences of a Buddhist monk and a miko amongst the party, and they were all offered hot baths, meals, and a place to sleep in one of the pilgrim guesthouses.

_And that damned monk didn't even have to perform one of his fake exorcisms this time_, thought Inuyasha smugly, as he gobbled up the last grains of rice from the tray of food set before him.

It was only a little past noon, but Kagome looked ready to fall down with weariness. Her wound had not been serious after all, and Inuyasha could smell no hint of infection on it, but she was gray with fatigue, and still reeked faintly of dragon-musk.

And that too-tall bastard Alphonse was still being way too attentive to her, damn him!

A set of futon mattresses were laid out, and everyone except Inuyasha curled up gratefully for a nap.

As was his habit, he sat against the wall, Tetsusaiga propped up against his shoulder, watching as his companions quickly dropped off to sleep.

Without witnesses to see, Inuyasha let himself smile at the sight of Kagome, fast asleep and still wrapped in his jacket. She was safe! It had been torture, these past few days, not knowing if she was alive or dead.

Brave and strong, she had nearly managed to escape the castle by herself--_okay, maybe that wimpy wolf lent her a little help, but knowing her, she did most of it herself._

And now she was back where she belonged: with him.

His gaze flicked over uneasily to Alphonse's lanky form, his feet sticking out past the end of the quilt.

Inuyasha had watched Alphonse watching Kagome all morning, had noted how the foreign sorcerer still stood a little too close to her, how he rushed to help her at each opportunity.

But it had been Inuyasha that Kagome turned to after her uncle's death, and Inuyasha that Kagome still trusted to protect her, even when all he could do was offer her his fire-rat armor, too late to prevent the dragon from nearly eviscerating her.

The long scrape was ugly but shallow, but it could have been worse. A lot worse.

Inuyasha inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with her comforting scent. He didn't want to think about either the dragon or Alphonse right now.

With any luck, his help in lugging that snake-in-a-box (still tied to the roof of the car) would speed the Elric brothers on their way home, and with them, would go the bad luck that Edward brought with his "ideas" and the raw jealousy that Alphonse inspired.

_Then Kagome will be mine again,_ thought Inuyasha. _All mine..._ His eyelids drooped, and he fought to stay awake.

* * *

Despite his impatience to be gone from this place, Ed had to admit that the nap felt good. He awoke a couple of hours later, feeling lazy and warm...and in need of the latrine.

He considered rolling over and going back to sleep for a little longer--no one else, except Inuyasha, seemed to be awake yet--but his bladder protested. He sighed, threw back the quilt, and crawled to his feet.

Inuyasha's golden gaze flicked over to him, and returned to Kagome. Ed yawned, and tiptoed to the door of the guesthouse. Slipping into his shoes, he made his way across the courtyard, and walked out the gate to the row of wooden latrines standing some distance away.

Nature's call answered, he decided to go for a walk. And to see if there was any hope of getting a mid-afternoon snack.

A brisk walk around the shrine's grounds, and the collection of cottages clustered outside the red gate, helped to clear his head of the lingering fuzzy feeling that always followed naps. The shadows had grown long while he'd been sleeping, though the sun was still some distance above the horizon, and the air was still mild and warm.

As he began to head back toward the shrine, he saw that Kagome must've woken up in the meanwhile and decided to take a walk, too.

Inuyasha was strangely absent, though. Instead, she was trailed by a boy who looked to be about eleven years old.

"Hey, Kagome-san," bellowed Ed, waving at her. "Where'd you pick up the stray?"

Both of them stopped and stared at him as he trotted over to them.

The boy frowned as Ed drew closer, and put one hand on the leather-wrapped handle of a crude but effective-looking hand-scythe tucked through the belt of his short robe. Ed noticed a weighted chain looped around his waist. It made the kid clank a little as he walked.

Kagome--no_, damn it, not Kagome, and no wonder the kid was glaring at him_—waited calmly for him to approach. The girl might have been Kagome's twin, even down to being dressed in the same red-and-white priestess's outfit that Kagome wore, but this girl's clothing was unsullied by the grime and damage from dragon claws.

That unnatural stillness should have been his first clue, Ed thought. That, and the fact that this girl's hair was smooth and glossy and utterly straight, unlike Kagome's thick unruly mane.

Ed approached cautiously. "Um, sorry, I thought you were someone else," he apologized, attempting a bow in her direction.

"Kikyo-sama is not--" began the boy, looking annoyed.

"Kagome and Inuyasha are here?" the girl asked, her cool voice effortlessly overriding the boy's. He fell instantly and respectfully silent, his hand dropping away from the scythe's handle.

"Um, yeah," Ed replied. Okay, so Kagome and her twin knew each other? Stranger and stranger. Then memory of something Miroku had told him days ago clicked. "Are you perhaps, um, Kikyo-san…er, sama?" _Wasn't she_ _Inuyasha's old girlfriend, right? _

She inclined her head gracefully. "You have the advantage of me…we have not met before, I believe," she murmured.

"I'm Edward Elric." Something felt subtly wrong about her, he thought, trying to study her without staring too openly. "But please call me Ed." He turned his attention to the kid, who was scowling again. "And you are--?"

"Kohaku!" said Sango, in tones of evident delight, as she approached them.

The kid's expression underwent the most amazing transformation at Sango's words, shifting rapidly from his initial don't-mess-with-me look, to shame and guilt (and Ed knew those emotions just a little too well, himself), and finally settling on a cautious joy.

"Ane-ue," replied the boy, grinning at her. "Guess what? Kikyo-sama just killed Naraku!"

"What?" Sango stopped. "Kagome-chan thought this might be the case, but how--?"

"He was already badly injured," Kikyo answered, quietly. "I assume that he had already encountered your group before we met on the road."

"He was trying to steal my shard, Ane-ue," Kohaku added. "But Kikyo purified him."

"Speaking of the Shikon-no-Tama," Kikyo said, still in that quiet, somewhat unnerving monotone. "Naraku had not even a single shard in his possession when we encountered him. This concerns me--he had nearly completed the jewel, and if it fell into the hands of a youkai or an evil human now..."

"Kagome's got the jewel," Ed interjected. As Kikyo stared at him, her dark eyes piercing but her face expressionless, he added, "As far as we can tell, Envy--that's the dragon that my brother and I were chasing-- stole the jewel from Naraku. And Kagome stole the jewel from Envy, and then Inuyasha killed Envy. Bastard," he added, rebukingly, though even he wasn't sure if he was referring to Envy or Inuyasha.

_Both of 'em,_ he thought, still angry about losing his and Al's only way home.

"I see," Kikyo said, softly. "Then the jewel is nearly complete?"

Sango nodded. "Envy took Kouga's shards, and Kagome already had two, so...yes."

Ed frowned, trying to decode the weird undercurrents flowing between the two women. Sango's expression in particular was an odd mixture of sad and defiant.

"My shard," Kohaku said, breaking into the tense silence. "It's the final one, isn't it?" He reached back, and a bit gingerly, touched a place at the base of his neck.

"Kohaku--don't!" Sango moved suddenly, wrapping the kid in a fierce embrace. "No one wants you to give it up!"

Ed was getting more confused by the moment, but it didn't really seem like a good time to break in with a string of questions.

"Don't I deserve death?" asked the kid, his voice a little muffled from being pressed against Sango's shoulder. "Father...the other youkai-taijiya...all the terrible things I did while I was Naraku's slave..."

"No! No..." Sango looked like she was holding back her tears with a superhuman effort. "I can't lose you, too, Kohaku!"

"If the Jewel is completed, it can be wholly purified and its baleful influence removed from the world by a selfless wish," Kikyo said. Her tone never changed as she spoke, but she bowed her head sorrowfully.

"Just exactly what is the deal with the kid here?" Ed asked, at last. "And why does he have to die?"

**Canon and Historical Notes**

Hi everyone, I'm back from my trip to Japan. Sorry about the delay in posting chapters, but jet-lag caught up with me, and I've spent the last week-and-a-half moving through my work-days like a zombie, feeling absolutely clobbered by fatigue. I did have the opportunity to visit Hikone-jo while I was in Kyoto, so now I have a much better idea of what a Japanese castle looks like, though Hikone-jo was built in the 1620s, about 70 years later than the setting of this story. The castle had lots of courtyards, so at least I got that part right. *g*

**juban** – a white cotton garment, like an undershirt, worn under a kimono. Inuyasha is shown wearing a cream-colored juban under his fire-rat outer garments.

**matcha** – traditional Japanese powdered green tea, made from dried and pulverized tea leaves

**chihaya** - the top part of a miko's outfit, which looks like a white, kimono-style blouse.

**Inari shrine** - a Shinto shrine dedicated to the fertility god Inari. Kitsune are traditionally associated with Inari shrines. Kasama is the location of one of Japan's most famoud Inari shrines.

**Ane-ue** –extremely respectful term for "older sister"

As always, thanks to Ginny, aka **kokoronagomu**, for beta-reading, and for supplying some of the correct clothing terminology in this chapter. You rock, my dear!


	35. The Final Shard

_Kasama Village, 16th-century Japan_

"Just exactly what is the deal with the kid here?" Ed asked, at last, jerking his chin in Kohaku's direction. "And why does he have to die?"

Sango, Kikyo, and the boy all exchanged dismayed glances. Ed imagined silent communication passing between them: _No, I don't want to tell him. You tell him! No, you tell him!_

"This is Naraku's doing," Sango answered at last, her tone clipped and flat, as if she were trying to press down any hint of emotion. She released her brother from her embrace and stepped back a little. "When I was--before I met up with Inuyasha, Kagome, and houshi-sama, I was a professional youkai-taijiya, like most of the adults in my village. We were hired by a certain daimyo to exterminate a spider youkai. My little brother had just completed his training as a youkai-taijiya, and Father brought him along. It was going to be his first mission. Instead, we were betrayed." She stopped, obviously fighting for control.

Ed saw Kohaku's guilty expression, and remembered how he had spent years wearing his own guilt like a too-tight jacket. It had constricted joy and breath and any movement except his forward charge to find the Philosopher's Stone so he could get Al's body back.

He wondered what had happened, what Kohaku had done. And despite his curious question, Ed wasn't really sure he wanted to know.

And what could he say to Kohaku? _I understand what you're going through, kid. My brother spent years locked up in a suit of fucking armor--no sense of taste, no sense of smell, no real sense of touch_--_and it was all my fault._

"Naraku had disguised himself as the daimyo's heir, and he set us up. He knew I was the youngest and weakest one," Kohaku said bitterly. "He turned me into his puppet. When--when I came back to myself, everyone except Ane-ue was dead. I had killed them all. And then the daimyo ordered the guards to execute us. We were...very badly wounded." He lowered his head, so that his shock of messy dark brown hair hid the pain in his eyes. His hands clenched spasmodically into fists.

_So, the kid thinks it was his fault,_ thought Ed, sympathetically. _Yeah, I know that feeling._

"I thought Naraku was my friend at first." Sango took up the narrative when Kohaku's silence had stretched to an uncomfortable pause. "Since he tended my injuries. I returned home, only to discover that youkai had attacked my village in the absence of all the taijiya, and slaughtered everyone. Naraku told me that Inuyasha was responsible, and gave me a jewel shard. He promised it would lend me the strength to exact revenge." Sango swallowed hard, and her voice dropped to a near-whisper. "I was still very badly hurt, so I took the shard. I attacked Inuyasha, and Kagome, and houshi-sama, and I almost--"

"Don't flatter yourself, woman, you were half-dead from losing so much blood," Inuyasha interjected gruffly. "It's not as if you had a _real_ chance against me."

The hanyou walked under the shrine gate, and leaned against one of the vermillion-painted pillars.

Kagome, Al, and Miroku were nowhere to be seen, and Ed surmised that they were still asleep in the guesthouse.

Kikyo's head snapped up at the sound of Inuyasha's voice, and Ed saw the two of them exchange a long, intense glance.

"I still can't believe that you forgave me," murmured Sango.

Inuyasha tore his gaze away from Kikyo, and gave what looked like an embarrassed shrug. "Nothing to forgive. You were tricked by that bastard Naraku. He's pulled that shit with all of us, at one time or another."

_Okay, this is all interesting in a horrible kind of way, _thought Ed. _But…_

"I still don't get why the kid has to die, if Sango-san was the one who was tricked into attacking you. Wait," he said, as a sudden thought struck him. "This isn't like how it works in Creta, back home, where the man of the family has to take responsibility for everyone's actions? Because that's a really stupid law, if you ask me…"

"What--?" Kohaku and Sango both gaped at him.

"You mean there are places where I could, say, steal something, but my father or husband would be punished for it?" asked Sango. "That sounds very unfair, Edward-san."

"You said it," Ed agreed, fervently. "And I'm not just saying that because I'm a man."

"No--no, it's not like that at all," Kohaku said, after a few moments spent with a knotted brow, contemplating the idea that Ed had raised. "It's because of my shard. Or, what taking my shard away means."

Sango was looking distressed again. Kikyo still looked preternaturally serene.

Ed waited, his curiosity aroused, and hoped that they would get to the point soon.

Kohaku took a deep breath. "I...I died from my injuries, and Naraku revived me by embedding a shard in my back."

Ed felt his brows rise. The jewel could bring back people from the dead? _If only we'd known about the Jewel when we tried to revive Mother-- _With an effort, he cut off his train of thought and forced his attention back to Kohaku.

"I don't remember much about the first few months," Kokaku was saying. "It was as if I were asleep, and dreaming strange dreams of living amongst youkai and doing Naraku's bidding. Every so often, I'd start to wake up, and realize that I really wasn't dreaming. At first, it was easier just--just to go back to sleep. I didn't remember who I was, or what I'd done. Naraku kept me as his slave, his..._pet_." He grimaced, looking like he'd just bitten into a piece of rotten food.

"Hey, Brother, Sango-san! Kagome-chan, you're awake? How did you get here so quickly?" Al looked as if he just woken up. His shirt was rumpled, his jacket was missing, and his short blond hair was sticking up in uneven tufts.

His sleepy expression vanished as he took a closer look at Kikyo. "Wait, you're not Kagome."

She shook her head, silently. Al said, a bit plaintively, "Brother, what's going on? Who are these people?"

"Hold on a moment, Al," Ed said, leaning forward to scrutinize Kohaku. "So, you died? And the shard revived you? And is keeping you alive?"

Kohaku nodded, and Ed frowned skeptically. Al's eyes grew wide, but he kept silent for now.

The kid looked perfectly healthy to Ed, a bit gaunt maybe, and definitely grimy from traveling, but otherwise, just a normal boy on the verge of adolescence.

"Are you _sure_ about that?" Ed pressed. "I mean, you and Sango-san just told me that Naraku lied to you about a bunch of other important stuff."

Kohaku's eyes widened at Ed's words, as if he'd never considered the possibility before.

Sango said, sharply, "And what if Naraku _didn't_ lie about this? We can't just take my brother's shard and--and hope for the best!"

"That's Sango's brother?" whispered Al. When Ed nodded, Al added, speculative, "Then the woman with him must be Inuyasha's old girlfriend." He looked oddly happy at this realization.

"Nevertheless," Kikyo addressed Sango, softly. "Kohaku's shard is the last one needed to make the jewel whole again." Her gaze was downcast.

"No," said Sango, stepping forward, and putting herself between her brother and the priestess. "No, you can't _do_ this, Kikyo-sama. Please, I beg you!"

"Ane-ue, I _have_ to," Kohaku said. "You know what I've done--what Naraku _made_ me do!" His voice had gone hoarse, and he was staring at his sister's shoulder blades, the muscles in his jaw flexing. "I have to--no, I _want_ to give Kikyo-sama my shard. It's the only way I can redeem myself!"

Sango didn't move, but Ed could see her eyes shining with unshed tears.

_This isn't my business_, Ed told himself. _I've already fucked up enough here_.

Guilt tasted like bitter gunmetal as he remembered what he had done to Inuyasha in the failed attempt to bring Al and Kagome through the well. Raising him over the lip of the well, afterwards, had been like lifting a corpse. Inuyasha had been utterly limp and cold, his tanned skin bleached to the grayish-white of dirty chalk, his long black hair trailing in the dirt and rice flour, blurring the useless lines and arcs traced there.

"Ever think that maybe dying is the easy way out, kid?" Ed heard himself say. _Just couldn't keep out of this, could you, Fullmetal? _mocked his internal voice_._

Kohaku shot him an offended look. "What do _you_ know about it?"

"Plenty," Ed replied. "And from personal experience." He lifted his right arm, and rolled back the cuff of his shirt, revealing the silver gleam of his automail wrist emerging from his rather grimy glove. "I won't bore you with the details about how I lost my arm and my leg--"

Ed saw Kohaku's skeptical gaze drop to Ed's trousers. With an internal sigh, he lifted his left pant leg to show the matching automail there. Kohaku's eyes widened.

"--but I can tell you, that when you've--" _fucked up, uh, maybe I shouldn't use that kind of language around Sango's kid brother,_ "--done the unforgivable, it's harder, much harder, to tell yourself that you have to live, and try to make things right."

Kohaku gulped, and stared at the ground for a long moment. "And if you can't ever make things right?" he whispered, finally.

"Then you just have to find a way to live with that," Ed said, bluntly.

"Besides, Kohaku-kun," Al added, softly. "You don't want to make your big sister suffer, do you? I think she'd be very sad if you just...died." He gave the boy an encouraging smile, and ran his hand uncomfortably through his short blond hair, making it stick up even more wildly.

Sango nodded, and turning, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. He sagged a little under her touch, his bluster gone. He looked like just a kid now, dressed in a short, ragged, blue yukata worn over leather armor similar to Sango's.

But he was as old--or as young-- as Ed had been when he'd taken the State Alchemist's exam, and started on his own quest for redemption. _Old enough to bear the burden of his sins, and to decide what to do about them._

Ed saw Kikyo's expression became even more remote as she watched them. He wondered what she was thinking.

He glanced over at Inuyasha, saw how intently his gaze was fastened on the priestess, and knew exactly what _he_ was thinking. And it wasn't longing for an old girlfriend, either, no matter what Al might be hoping. Ed was as intimately familiar with the various flavors of anguish and guilt as a gourmand was with vintages.

_More unfinished business,_ he thought.

"But even if I want to live, how can I?" Kohaku said, sounding weary and defeated. "I still have to give Kikyo-sama my jewel shard. Or bad things will just keep happening."

An idea began to form in the back of Ed's mind. Maybe, just maybe, he could finally be of some use here--

"So, Naraku told you that the jewel shard embedded in your back is what sustains your life. It's what binds your soul to your body, correct?" Ed asked, carefully.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Al stiffen. In the next instant, he felt his brother's hand clamp around the bicep of his left arm, fingers digging into muscle with bruising strength.

"Excuse us, please," Al said, politely enough, to the others, just before forcibly dragging Ed some distance from the group.

Ed didn't resist--much. He was still working out the details of a plan, but he knew that nothing would happen if he couldn't get Al to agree to help. Despite Ed's increasingly frustrated attempts, his brother was still the only one who could use a jewel shard to power a transmutation.

"Brother, what are you planning?" Al demanded in a fierce whisper as they came to a halt inside one of the shrine's gravel-paved courtyards.

Ed shook off his brother's grip. "I'm thinking that there's a way that we can keep Kohaku's soul bound to his body after he surrenders his shard." He fixed Al with a meaningful look.

"That's what I was afraid of." Al didn't try to hide his dismay. "Brother, we can't. That's human transmutation!"

Ed flinched from the remembered horror clouding his brother's eyes, and pushed away the memory of the gruesome...thing...they had created, all those years ago.

"I know, Al," he said, quietly. "But it may be the only way to save Sango's brother."

"But--" Al began.

Ed's hand shot out. His fingers clenched the soft, wrinkled fabric of his Al's sleeve. "It's her _brother,_ and the only family she has left. I have to _try._" Ed's voice cracked, and he took a deep breath, fighting for control. "Besides," he added, once his voice was reasonably under control again, "I _know_ how to do this. It worked on you, didn't it?"

"The blood seal!" For an instant, Al looked excited despite himself. Then he frowned. "But you bound my soul to a suit of armor, Brother. I'm not sure it will work on a real body...and besides, what happens when the blood seal washes away? Kohaku-kun has to bathe sometime, after all." He wrinkled his nose, imagining it.

Okay, so Al thought it might work...if they could find some way of affixing the seal to living flesh. "I was thinking," Ed said, slowly, "That maybe a tattoo would work. We could use a donor's blood mixed with ink."

"And who would that donor be?" Al asked quietly. "It can't be one of us--not if we want to be able to leave here, and go home."

Ed nodded, acknowledging the problem. The transmutation was a constant, if low-level, one. Someone would have to be bound to Kohaku's transmutation circle, to supply it with energy, just as Ed had once supplied his brother's armor with the energy to exist and move.

"But will you help me, Al? If I can convince Kohaku to do this, I mean."

Al stared at him for a long moment, chewing on his lower lip. "All right," he said, finally. "I think--I think it might work. And you're right: we have to at least try to save him."

"Thank you," Ed said, sincerely, and his brother grinned back. "Okay, let's tell the others."

* * *

"I'll do it," Sango said, before Ed had even finished his explanation. "Whatever it takes."

"But is it dangerous? To my sister, I mean," asked Kohaku.

"There won't be much of an effect," Ed assured them. "She'll be hungrier, and tire more easily. And if she gets sick, you'll be weakened, too."

"And if I die?" Sango asked, cutting right to the heart of the matter.

Ed shrugged apologetically. "His lifespan will be bound to yours."

"I see. Well then, I suppose I shall have to take care not to die," she said, with a small smile.

Inuyasha scowled. "I still think it's too dangerous," he said. "I don't trust him." He pointed a claw-tipped finger at Ed. His scowl deepened, and his golden glare swept to Al. "I don't trust _either_ of 'em." His head bowed briefly, as if conducting a swift internal debate, then he said, "Let me do it. I'm tougher than you are, Sango. If something goes wrong..."

As Ed's face grew hot at the reminder of his earlier failure, Sango shook her head. "Thank you, Inuyasha. You are a kind and generous friend, but Kohaku is my brother."

"Ane-ue," said the boy, in a tone of deep gratitude.

"This transmutation works," Ed told Inuyasha, with utter certainty.

"It's commonly done in your world?" the hanyou asked skeptically.

Ed shook his head. "It's actually forbidden to perform alchemy on human beings, because of the risks."

Inuyasha snorted.

"But I paid the price--" Ed tapped his automail wrist. "--because I had to save my brother, and the only way I could do that was to learn how to anchor Al's soul to the armor. My right arm was the price for that knowledge." He met Inuyasha's keen gaze. "I know I haven't done right by you. I hurt you, very badly, but that was because I was trying something I'd never tried before, and I didn't know about the jewel shards. But this--I've done this before. And I want to save Kohaku. I'm the only one who can."

"I hope you're right," Inuyasha said, gruffly. "Sango..." He stopped, and it was obvious to Ed that the hanyou changed what he was originally going to say. "Don't hurt her, Edward, or I'll make you sorry your foreign ass ever came through the well."

"I'm already sorry," Ed retorted. "And--I'll do my best."

A sharp nod, a flash of wide scarlet sleeves, and the hanyou was gone.

* * *

The rest of the group joined them shortly thereafter, and as Ed had expected, the news of what they proposed led to questions. Lots of questions. And most of them from Miroku.

"I did not realize that this alchemy of yours can bring people back from the dead," he said, sitting cross-legged on the wide porch surrounding the guesthouse. Miroku's hands were tucked into his wide purple sleeves as he watched Ed grind an ink cake in preparation for his transmutation.

"Not quite," Ed said, forcing down the old regrets that rose like bile in his throat. "All I can do is an anchor a soul at the moment of its departure."

"So you will have to time this spell very carefully, once Kikyo-sama removes Kohaku's shard."

_No shit,_ thought Ed, irritably, but he forced himself to answer the monk politely. "Yes, Miroku-sama."

He picked up a knife, tested the sharpness of the blade, and immersed it in the bowl of pure alcohol he had distilled from a jar of the shrine's sake. There was a calligraphy brush and a folded bandage sitting next to it, as well as a box containing a needle and sutures...just in case. He hoped they wouldn't need to stitch anything.

As if reading Ed's mind, Miroku asked: "And Sango--what danger to her?"

Ah, this was the heart of the monk's concern. "Not much," Ed answered honestly. "Not like Kohaku. She's aware of the price."

"I see," Miroku said. More quietly, he asked, "And that price--will she still be able to bear children?"

Ed blinked. "Ah, yes. She might be a bit more tired, but she's pretty strong. I don't think it will be a problem."

He saw the tension leave Miroku's body as the monk exhaled with relief. "Good. Now that Naraku is dead, and the jewel on the verge of being completed, I find my thoughts turning toward matrimony."

"Would it matter if she couldn't have children?" Ed asked, very carefully not looking up from his task. "Would you have to marry someone else, then?"

"No!" Miroku snapped, then relaxed. "I want to marry Sango, no matter what. But children--children would be a blessing."

And if Ed took that away from them, it would just be one more thing he'd screwed up in a long line of fuck-ups. He sighed, but didn't say anything else.

The conversation obviously concluded, Miroku rose.

Ed finished grinding the ink cake, and looked up. Al, hovering nearby, straightened.

"It's time," said Ed, and tried to ignore Miroku's flinch as he settled himself next to Inuyasha and Kagome, who were sitting some distance away.

Sango and Kohaku came forward, followed by Kikyo. The rest of the group arranged themselves some distance away, where they could watch, but safely out of range of any alchemical rebounds.

At Ed's gesture, the boy seated himself in the center of the transmutation circle chalked onto the smooth boards of the porch. He had already removed his leather armor, so when he opened his yukata, and pushed it down his shoulders, he revealed the deeply scarred skin of his back and chest.

Kohaku said he'd had been killed by castle guards, and from the looks of the white and pink scar tissue writhing over his pale skin, he hadn't died easily. Ed noted the puckered marks of arrows, interspersed with the longer lines of spear and sword. _Ouch._

At the base of his neck, a strange, irregular bump marked the spot where Naraku had inserted a jewel shard under his skin.

Sango knelt at Ed's side, and pushed back her sleeve.

Kikyo and Al stood out of the way, but close enough to move quickly into place when their time came.

"First," said Ed, loudly enough that Sango's friends could hear, "We're going to transmute the tattoo onto Kohaku's skin." He looked at the boy, who was beginning to shiver a little in the cool, late-afternoon breeze. "Any preferences as to where I put it? It won't need to be very big."

"It doesn't matter." Kohaku shrugged awkwardl. After a moment, he added: "On my back, maybe?"

"All right." Ed fished up the knife from the bowl of alcohol, and on cue, Sango proffered her arm.

This was the part he hated--hurting someone. He took a deep breath, and drew the blade smoothly across the tender skin just above her wrist. Deep enough to yield a sufficient quantity of blood to make the ink, but not too deep...

Sango inhaled sharply as Ed made the cut, but her arm remained perfectly still in his grasp.

"Sorry," he muttered, dropping the blade back into the dish of disinfectant. He tugged at her hand to position it over the mound of powdered ink.

She huffed, a small sound that might have laughter, or absolution, as her blood dripped sluggishly down and beaded on the dark powder.

"Come on, come on, come on," muttered Ed, hoping he wouldn't have to cut her again. But he couldn't afford for the blood to congeal, either.

Sango moved, clenching her fist, and the blood dripped faster. Ed let out a breath.

"Just a little more," he said, picking up a tiny split-bamboo whisk and beginning to mix the blood and powder into a thick, oily-looking black paste. _Drip, drip, drip..._

"Okay," he said, scooping up the bandage and pressing it against the cut. "You're done."

She nodded silently, and slid her fingers over his to hold the bandage in place.

He removed his hand, gave her his best smile, and picked up the shallow dish of ink-and-blood mixture as well as the calligraphy brush. Now came the tricky part.

Ed knelt behind Kohaku, mindful of the carefully-drawn lines of the transmutation circle, and dipped the brush in the blood-ink paste. Carefully he traced the deceptively simple transmutation circle on the scarred skin between Kohaku's spine and the curve of his shoulder blade. The glistening reddish-black trails echoed the pattern of dried blood that had once served to animate an empty suit of armor with Al's soul.

Goosebumps followed the tickling path of Ed's brush, but Kohaku didn't move a muscle until Ed had finished.

Ed stepped carefully out of the transmutation circle. His part was done. The rest was up to Alphonse.

"Al," he said softly.

When his brother didn't respond, Ed looked up, and followed Al's gaze to where Inuyasha and Kagome were sitting, side-by-side.

Inuyasha said something, his perpetual scowl lightened for once, and Kagome's eyes widened with an expression of mingled shock and amusement. She shot Ed an embarrassed glance, and reached up to tug playfully on one of Inuyasha's puppy ears, obviously delivering a half-hearted reprimand. He only smirked down at her.

Al slumped a little, his entire bearing radiating confusion and disappointment. "But what does she _see_ in him?" he muttered, plaintively.

Ed sighed. He wished with all his might he could fix this, and save his little brother from a broken heart, but--

"Al, focus!" he barked. "We're saving Kohaku, remember?"

Al started. "Of-of course, Brother."

A blush washed up from his neck and over his freckled face as he turned resolutely away from bickering couple, and placed his hand on the jewel shard that had been placed on one of the chalked lines of the transmutation circle.

"Kikyo-sama, if you please," Ed said, as politely as he could. He picked up the knife, once more covered with a sheen of alcohol, and proffered it.

She took it, and glided gracefully over Kohaku's side.

At the touch of her hand on his shoulder, the boy bowed his head, drawing taut the skin over the bump of the embedded shard.

"Kohaku," breathed Sango. She knelt just outside the transmutation circle, still holding the bandage to her arm. The hope on her face was painful to see, and Ed looked away.

It was all up to Kikyo and Al now, anyway. He'd done his part by creating the larger transmutation circle that would allow his brother to feed the jewel's energy to the two smaller arrays within the circle. One array would embed the pattern of blood and ink just under Kohaku's skin, creating a permanent tattoo in the shape of the second array. Once that was done, the second array would trigger, binding Kohaku's soul to his body.

Or so Ed hoped. It all came down to a matter of timing.

Could Kikyo coordinate the removal of the shard with Al's activation of the transmutation circles?

The hand holding the knife moved, and Ed found himself holding his breath as Kikyo delicately flicked the blade against Kohaku's skin.

An instant later, the shard gleamed between her bloodied fingers.

"NOW, Al!" shouted Ed, but his brother had already slapped down his hands, and the rose-colored energies of transmutation were racing along the chalked lines.

The light reached Kohaku, and the array that Ed had painted onto his back blazed, kindling into golden fire. The boy arched with a muffled exclamation, his head thrown back, his spine bowed, his face contorted.

Sango whimpered, and fell onto her hands and knees.

The final glory of the transmutation flickered, pulsed with one last burst of golden energy, and faded away.

Kohaku toppled over, still convulsing, and the floor boards gave a great hollow thump. He drew a long sobbing breath, drew himself into fetal position, and went utterly still.

A moment later, Sango's arms collapsed beneath her, and she pitched forward. Ed flung out a panicked hand, catching her by the collar (and possibly sparing her a broken nose), and lowered her gently.

"Kohaku-kun!" "Sango-chan!" "Sango!" Ed heard the concerned cries from the onlookers, but couldn't spare the attention to reassure them.

He stared at Sango's prone form, noting the gentle rise and fall of her ribs, and breathed relief.

Al had scrambled to Kohaku's side, and was gently turning the boy onto his back. He pressed two fingers against Kohaku's throat, searching for a pulse, then sat back on his heels with a relieved expression.

"He's all right," he assured the onlookers. "Just unconscious."

"Same here," reported Ed, and not a moment too soon because Inuyasha was awfully close, and his glare threatened partial dismemberment, at the very least. "They're going to be all right. We just need to let them rest."

He met Al's gaze, and felt his mouth stretch into a triumphant grin. Finally, he'd managed to do something right in this world!

Al grinned back. He rose to his feet, dusting off his trouser legs, and with a small, courtly bow, handed Kikyo the shard he had used to power the transmutation.

"I can't believe it's finally over," said Kagome, coming to stand next to Kikyo.

The two young women favored each other with polite but slightly uncomfortable nods.

Miroku threw himself to his knees at Sango's side, and lifted her head into his lap, stroking her pale cheek.

She stirred, and murmured, "Houshi-sama," before relaxing back into sleep.

Ed saw the monk's tension evaporate. His hand returned to linger against the skin of Sango's face, tenderly tracing the arch of brow and curve of her jaw with his fingertips.

Kagome fished out a tiny cloth bag hung around her neck on a braided string. She opened the drawstring enclosure, and turned the bag upside-down. Her large fragment and a smaller one tumbled into her hand. Silently, Kikyo opened her palm, revealing the other two shards.

Standing side-by-side, they stared down at the pieces. "Um," said Kagome, after a period of silence. "Now what? It's still broken."

"Allow me," said Al, which earned him a glower from Inuyasha, hovering protectively nearby.

The two priestesses shared a glance, then gave Al their shards. He drew a stick of chalk out of his trouser pocket, and swiftly marked a simple transmutation circle on the floorboards.

There was a flare of light, which cleared to reveal an unblemished sphere sitting where the five pieces had been just moments before.

"Here you go," Al said, handing the jewel to Kagome.

Ed didn't miss the deliberate brush of his fingers across her palm.

Neither did Inuyasha. Ed heard him actually _growl_ at the sight.

Kagome, her eyes wide, stared down at the completed jewel. Then she turned, and offered it silently to Kikyo.

Kikyo studied the glowing sphere, nestled in the palm of her hand. Her lips moved, and Ed caught the barest thread of a whisper. "What do I do, now?"

Her head lifted, as if she sensed Ed watching her, and her dark eyes locked with his. But her question, when it came, was not what Ed had expected her to ask. "Having bound a soul, can you also unbind it?"

He looked over at Kohaku's unconscious form. Unbidden, the alchemical equations for undoing what he had just done raced across his mind.

"I think I could," he answered Kikyo. "But why would I _want_ to?"

She smiled enigmatically. "It was just a question, Edward-sama."

He shuddered.

**Canon and Historical Notes**

**youkai-taijiya **- demon exterminator

**daimyo - **a feudal lord, similar to a medieval European count or an earl, who owned lands, collected taxes, and had an armed force of warriors personally pledged to his service

**ane-ue** – an old-fashioned, extremely respectful term for an older sister

As always, thanks to Ginny, aka **kokoronagomu**, for beta-reading.


	36. Farewells

_On the road between Kasama and Edo villages_

"…I wish I could take you to Brother's favorite bakery in East City, Kagome-chan. They make these amazing doughnuts, filled with homemade raspberry jam. Brother actually made himself sick--several times-- from eating an entire bag--"

"HEY!" came Ed's indignant voice from inside the iron carriage, where it was his turn to drive.

"--anyhow, the cinnamon buns there are really good, too," Alphonse continued without missing a beat. "And the cheesecake--do you like cheesecake, Kagome-chan?"

Inuyasha hunched a little, trying to drown out Alphonse-fucking-Elric's relentlessly cheerful voice, and decided to scout ahead.

As he bounded ahead of the group, he heard Miroku asking, "Where's Inuyasha going? Is something wrong? Are more youkai coming?"

_Keh_, thought Inuyasha. He'd fucking welcome another youkai attack at this point, if it would only force Alphonse to get the hell away from Kagome for a few minutes.

Their group had left Kasama village yesterday morning, on their way back to the Bone-eater's Well, and Inuyasha had quickly found himself in hell.

Miroku had once described the Buddhist hell to Inuyasha as a series of caverns, divided into the Eight Hot Hells and the Eight Cold Hells.

The monk hadn't known what the fuck he'd been talking about, Inuyasha decided.

_Hell_ wasn't any fucking cave.

_Hell_ was traveling with a completed Shikon-no-Tama, and having to fend off youkai attacks several times an hour, while simultaneously being forced to watch that too-tall foreign bastard shamelessly hitting on Kagome.

_Hell_ was Alphonse constantly finding excuses to _touch_ Kagome, damn it!

Not the kind of perverted groping that Miroku indulged in, which would have given Inuyasha a perfect excuse to slug the tall bastard, but little touches to Kagome's arm, to her shoulder, and even the small of her back. That last was a not-so-subtly possessive gesture that made Inuyasha grind his teeth in frustrated rage.

_Must not kill_, he kept reminding himself. _Must not maim._

But it was awfully tempting.

And, last but definitely _not_ least, oh no, _Hell_ was witnessing Kikyo being entirely too interested in making friends with the tall bastard's brother.

In fact, the two of them had spent most of the journey so far either walking side-by-side or sitting together in the iron carriage, with Edward explaining--droning on and on, actually, if you asked Inuyasha--about the principles of alchemy. Kikyo was encouraging the bastard with questions whenever it sounded like he might be slowing to a halt.

Inuyasha was _not_ worried about Alphonse taking Kagome away, damn it, he told himself.

But he sure as hell worried about Kikyo's sudden interest in both Edward and his alchemy, fucking menaces that they were.

With the exception of Kohaku, Inuyasha couldn't think of anything that Edward had tried, that hadn't turned into a fucking disaster. Feeling his youki being drained away had been...Inuyasha suppressed a shudder, and turned his thoughts firmly away from that set of memories.

As he bounded ahead of the heavily laden automobile, which was lumbering along, weighed down by the large stone box tied to its roof, Inuyasha did his best to deny that a lump of approximately the same size and weight was beginning to form in his chest, compounded of dread and fear and the sense of imminent loss.

Sure, he'd decided to keep Kagome at arm's length until their quest was completed. (_It's completed now, isn't it?_ whispered a voice in his heart. _Naraku is dead and the completed Shikon-no-Tama is ours again._)

So what if Alphonse-fucking-Elric was educated, powerful, and fully human?

_Kagome is mine_. Hadn't she all but said so? And she wasn't a liar.

It was the constant talking that was getting on Inuyasha's nerves and making him feel so off-kilter, he decided. He just needed some peace and quiet to restore his internal balance, that was all.

He didn't manage to get more than a few breaths of peaceful silence, with only the sound of the wind rushing past his ears and snatches of birdsong, before he heard shouts and the angry roar of the iron carriage's engine rising to a protesting whine.

_Not again,_ Inuyasha thought wearily.

Sure enough, when he turned around to look, there was the iron carriage, stuck in the mud _again,_ and succeeding only in deepening the soft ruts that had entrapped it.

The recent rains had dissolved whole stretches of the hard-packed earth of the road into sticky mire. The iron carriage kept getting stuck or sliding into ditches on the steeper parts of the road when its wheels couldn't get any purchase on the slick mud.

Its passengers had disembarked and were walking, in an attempt to lighten the load a bit, but the snake-in-a-box was hissing and thrashing around inside its prison, the violence of its struggles making the iron carriage shake and rock.

Before leaving Kasama village, both Edward and Alphonse had agreed that it was too risky to try another transmutation to alter the stone to something lighter.

In hindsight, that had been a smart decision, Inuyasha admitted, though at the time, he'd complained mightily about how heavy it was.

Sure, the snake was enraged at being imprisoned--luckily for the group, serpent youkai didn't need to feed more than once a month or so, so no need to actually _open_ the box--but Inuyasha suspected that its proximity to the Shikon-no-Tama was the real problem. It wanted the jewel, and badly.

At least Kohaku and Sango seemed fine now.

After Edward's spell succeeded, the two of them had slept for almost an entire day. When they awoke, both insisted that they felt well enough to travel with the group back to the village where Kaede awaited them, especially since the presence of the iron carriage meant that they wouldn't have to walk the entire way.

Except, with the thing getting stuck so often, the not-walking part had proved a hopeful dream.

Inuyasha heaved a gusty sigh, and stomped back to where the iron carriage wallowed, its spinning wheels doing little except sending sprays of mud in all directions to spatter the unwary.

"Make it stop doing that!" he yelled, after getting a face full of dirty water and mud.

Edward obeyed, and the iron carriage's wheels stilled. The engine still rumbled quietly, emitting puffs of steam.

Inuyasha studied the problem for a moment, and walked around to the front of the carriage, where the footing was marginally better.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," Kagome said, and he caught the tail end of her smile.

Feeling suddenly less irritated, he bent and grabbed the curved bumper. He concentrated on channeling his youki to his muscles, strained, lifted, and--

The ground hit his ass hard enough to momentarily wind him. Inuyasha gaped at the long, curved piece of wood clutched in his hands, then glared as he heard someone snicker.

If that bastard Alphonse _dared_--

As if summoned, the too-tall bastard was suddenly leaning over Inuyasha, tugging gently at the bumper still in his grip. "I'll just reinforce that," he said, without a trace of mockery. "You're very strong, Inuyasha-san. I don't know what we'd do without you."

Inuyasha huffed, and began to get to his feet. "I didn't mean to break it," he muttered, sounding ungracious even to his own ears.

"Not your fault," Alphonse assured him. He extended a hand, which Inuyasha ignored.

In the meanwhile, Ed had climbed out of the carriage. He took his brother to one side, and Inuyasha overheard them discussing how to fix the bumper so that it could support the weight of the car when it was lifted.

Their brief conference concluded, they didn't bother with a written spell this time. Alphonse borrowed the Shikon-no-Tama from Kikyo, and stood behind his brother, one hand on his shoulder. Ed clapped his hands together and Alphonse's brow furrowed in concentration, and the now-familiar flare of transmutation followed.

"If you would please try it again, Inuyasha-san," Alphonse called.

The operation went smoothly this time. Inuyasha lifted and pulled, and got the carriage to firmer ground.

"The three of you make a good team," Kagome said, brightly, and Inuyasha scowled back at her.

_Team, my ass. I'm only helping these two bastards so they'll hurry up and disappear back through the Well. _

But he knew better that to actually _say_ any of that to her, not with the beads of subjugation still hanging heavy and cool around his neck.

Edward stretched, and Inuyasha heard the joints in his shoulders popping. "That's it," he said. "I need to walk and stretch my legs for a while. Al, you take over."

Inuyasha didn't miss the longing glance Alphonse cast at Kagome as he took his place behind the steering wheel.

He couldn't help smirking at the too-tall bastard as he took advantage of his rival's temporary absence to fall into step next to Kagome.

She gave him a sunny smile that sent warmth shooting straight through his chest and down to his--_never mind that_.

He walked along her side in contented silence for a while, studying her out of the corner of his eye, and letting her beloved scent surround him.

She looked at him quizzically once or twice, and he could have sworn she wanted to say something, but then she just smiled again, and turned her attention back to negotiating the slippery footing along this stretch of the road.

She wasn't expecting _him_ to talk, was she? He usually didn't waste the breath when they traveled together, and she knew that.

Inuyasha recalled Alphonse's slightly nervous monologue of earlier, and scowled. No fucking way was anyone going to catch him babbling like that!

Then Kagome frowned, looking ahead to where Kikyo was striding along smoothly at Edward's side.

"I don't understand how she does that," muttered Kagome, looking between Kikyo's nearly-spotless garments and her own mud-stained hakama.

Inuyasha shrugged. He didn't see the problem--in fact, he was rather enjoying the squelch of the mud between his bare toes. Plus, after his misadventure with the iron carriage, he was pretty solidly coated in mud from the waist down, and his hair felt suspiciously damp.

"Maybe you should take off your shoes and tabi, and roll up the hakama," he suggested. "It's easier to wash mud off bare skin than get it out of clothing."

He forbore to mention that his own stained fire-rat garments would be clean again by morning, thanks to their magical self-cleaning and self-repairing properties.

She shot him an exasperated look. "Too late now, Inuyasha."

"Uh, if you like, you could ride on my back," he said, as neutrally as he could, though every fiber of his being was screaming to have her pressed against him. "Like usual," he finished lamely

She shook her head, blushing, and gave his hand a brief squeeze. Inuyasha continued to walk alongside her, feeling simultaneously frustrated and gratified.

* * *

They arrived back at the village two days later and after innumerable instances of having to heave or push the iron carriage out of mud. Kaede greeted them all with hot tea and stew, and exchanged cautious greetings with Kikyo.

It was still strange to hear the old woman addressing the young-looking miko as "Older Sister," thought Inuyasha.

He hadn't aged during his half-century of enchanted sleep, and the clay doll that housed Kikyo's spirit was also unchanging, but Kaede--the little girl he remembered tagging along eagerly at her sister's side, running errands and assisting her, was now wrinkled and stooped with age.

Shippo was exuberant at their return, bouncing and chattering and generally making a nuisance of himself, and Inuyasha was finally forced to bop him on the head to get him to calm down to manageable levels.

Edward maneuvered the iron carriage to stand next to the Bone-eater's Well. At his request, Inuyasha slid the snake-in-a-box off the roof of the carriage, and lowered it to the grass of the small meadow surrounding the well.

Alphonse stepped forward, Shikon-no-Tama cradled in his hand, and took up his position at Edward's shoulder. A clap, an intense burst of light, and a mound of wood chips, earth, and lumps of metal replaced the sleek shape of the iron carriage.

"That's better," Alphonse said, cupping his hands around the still-glowing Shikon-no-Tama and handing it politely back to Kikyo. "Nothing left to trip up the archaeologists now!"

"Alphonse-sama," asked Miroku, studying the remnants of the iron carriage with great interest. "What is an archaeologist?"

As Alphonse began to launch into a long-winded explanation, interrupted by questions from the others, Inuyasha noticed Kikyo talking to Kagome.

This was unusual enough that Inuyasha stared at them. The uneasy feeling that had been haunting him during the entire journey back returned as he saw Kikyo give Kagome the Shikon-no-Tama.

Shippo distracted him briefly by transforming into a giant pink thing, and trying to chew on Inuyasha's head.

When Inuyasha looked up again, Kikyo and Edward were walking into the woods.

_What the fuck is going on here? This can't be good. _

Alphonse was still in full spate, so Inuyasha took the opportunity to sidle away unnoticed. Once safely concealed by foliage, he took to the trees, leaping lightly from branch to branch, tracking Edward and Kikyo.

He found the two of them standing under the tree where he had been pinned for a half-century, and that would become the Goshinboku of the Sunset Shine in Kagome's time.

Inuyasha edged closer, using his preternaturally keen hearing to eavesdrop. The bad feeling in his gut abruptly congealed as he heard what Kikyo was saying.

"--the way you did with the self-propelled carriage, just now?"

Edward, to his credit, looked horrified. "That would be murder!" he exclaimed, taking a step back from Kikyo. "I've never...done...that to a human being, and don't intend to start now. How can you even ask me that?" he finished, his face twisted in revulsion, his voice gone husky.

_Good,_ thought Inuyasha, glaring down at the top of Edward's golden head from his perch in Goshinboku's branches. _Now I won't have to rip your arms off._

Close on the heels of that thought came a second, more unwelcome one: _Kikyo, how could you ask this?_ The realization sent acid pain through his chest, burning like the poison that dripped from Sesshoumaru's claws.

"But Edward-sama," she said. "Have you not realized? Have none of the others told you? I am not human, not anymore."

He blinked at this, and Inuyasha could see his skeptical expression. "You _look_ perfectly human to me," he began.

"Urasue, the witch who made this body, was an expert at her craft," Kikyo interrupted.

She stretched out her hand toward him, letting the wide white sleeve fall back to expose the flawless skin of her wrist and forearm. "But this is not flesh, despite the spells that provide the flexibility and movement."

Edward hesitated, staring hard at the proffered limb, then reached out hesitantly to touch it. Inuyasha saw his startled reaction at his fingertips encountered the cool, hard surface. He'd had the same reaction, the first time he touched Kikyo after the witch had revived her.

"What--? This feels like porcelain!"

"It _is_ porcelain," Kikyo answered, sounding faintly amused, "made from grave-earth and bone. _My_ grave and _my_ bones."

Edward looked momentarily revolted. Then interest replaced revulsion in his face. "Can I?"

Inuyasha's claws dug into the bark of the tree branch he was crouching on as Edward, his expression alive with curiosity, took Kikyo's arm in both hands.

He pushed back her sleeve even further, and began to manipulate it gently, bending the elbow, wrist, and each finger, probing gingerly as if to test the movement of the non-existent tendons and muscles.

"Nothing," he murmured. "But this is amazing--the elasticity in what's usually an extremely rigid--" Inuyasha saw Edward catch himself. "...but you used to be human?"

She nodded.

He frowned thoughtfully. "How?" He gave her arm a little jiggle for emphasis, then blushed, and hastily smoothed her sleeve back down before releasing his hold. "And why?"

"Does it matter?" Kikyo said. "It is in the past. But as you can see, I am little more than an animated doll, with a portion of my soul trapped in this clay shell. I am outside the stream of Time--I can never change, never grow. I am cut off from the wheel of death and rebirth. Only _you_ can free me, Edward-sama."

He shook his head. "I can't--"

"Please help me."

Edward began to back away. "No. Don't ask me to do this. I won't."

_Damned right you won't_, Inuyasha thought, maintaining his position in the tree by sheer force of will. Every instinct screamed at him to leap down, and snatch up Kikyo, and carry her far, far away from that fucking menace with the iron arm and leg...

To Inuyasha's horror, Kikyo seemed determined. She bowed deeply. "I humbly beg this favor of you. No one else can do it. I cannot do it by myself--Urasue's spells are too powerful. Even if I throw myself off a cliff and shatter into a thousand pieces, my body will regenerate itself." She smiled, sadly. "Experience has proved this."

"Shall I beg?" To Inuyasha's horror, she lowered herself to her knees in a smooth motion, and began to descend into a full kowtow. "This clay body holds me captive, Edward-sama. Please free me--"

It was too much. He couldn't watch this any longer. "NOOOO," howled Inuyasha, launching himself from the branch.

He landed, spun, and had lifted Edward off his feet before the sorcerer could react, slamming the golden-haired man against Goshinboku's trunk. "You even _think_ about touching her, and I'll--"

"I wasn't gonna--" Edward countered, sounding winded but not nearly scared as he should be.

Inuyasha grinned humorlessly at him, making sure to display his fangs.

"Inuyasha, stop," commanded Kikyo. It was the voice of the brave, pure maiden who had befriended a feral hanyou boy, once, a long time ago.

Inuyasha stopped, though his hands remained clenched in Edward's garments, and he kept the sorcerer pressed firmly against the tree.

"Release him, Inuyasha. He's done nothing wrong." Kikyo had regained her feet, and she placed one slender, pale hand on Inuyasha's sleeve.

He could refuse her nothing. Had never been able to. Inuyasha sighed, and gave Edward one last shake before depositing the foreign sorcerer back on his feet.

Edward straightened his clothes, eyeing Inuyasha warily. Inuyasha returned his look, willing every ounce of threat he could muster into a glare.

Then Kikyo was tugging on his sleeve. "If you will excuse us," she said, politely, drawing Inuyasha away.

He followed her, unresisting.

When they were safely out of earshot, he rounded on her. "Kikyo--_why?_" His voice cracked, but he was beyond caring. "How can you want this--"

"Shhhh," she said, placing a cool finger against his lips.

The scent of clay and the long-dead bones surrounded him, laced with a faint hint of her original scent. It was the merest ghost of what had once been as familiar and beloved to him as Kagome's scent was now.

"You know why, Inuyasha. Naraku is dead, and the Shikon-no-Tama is purified and returned to safe hands." She smiled, sadly. "I have fulfilled my vows, and there is nothing left for me to do."

"But--" Inuyasha began, and choked on the pathetic cry of: _What about me?_

Her hands slipped into his, her grip firm but gentle, her skin hard and cool. "I spoke too soon. There is one more thing left for me to do."

Without letting go of his hands, she bowed her head, so that he was left looking at the glossy black hair, neatly parted down the middle. "I want to beg your forgiveness, Inuyasha, for the anger and bitterness I felt towards you when I was first revived, and for thinking that you had betrayed me. Had my faith in you not been so weak, Naraku could never have--"

"Stop," he begged her. "There's nothing to forgive. I loved you then. I still--" What could he say, to convince her? "I need you, Kikyo. Don't leave me. Please."

He wrenched his hands from hers, and drew her into a fierce embrace, feeling the cold, unyielding line of her not-flesh under her clothes. "Please," he said again.

She sighed, and leaned her forehead against his shoulder. "Would you sacrifice _her,_ then?" she asked, softly.

"What?"

"Kagome," Kikyo said. "My other self, who will never be born unless my soul can be released from this shell."

_Oh._ But there had to be a way to save them both! To keep them both at his side, where he could protect them!

He bent his head, and rested his cheek against that glossy hair, surrounded by the scent of funerary ashes and charred bones. His eyes were burning, and his vision was growing blurry. "Kikyo, I--"

"Don't cry, Inuyasha," she said.

He drew back a little and glared at her, indignantly. _Cry? I never fucking--_

Except that the breeze was cooling the tears on his cheek.

"Let me, go, love. Please." Her fingers wiped away the moisture from his face, leaving behind the scent of cool ash. "Let Edward release me, so that I can rejoin the great wheel, and work off my karmic debt before I'm reborn as that girl, some time in the future."

"No," he whispered. He wasn't ready to admit that she was really going to go through with this. "No, I can't."

"I am your past, Inuyasha. I know that your feelings were sincere ones, and that you are an honorable person. But that girl is your future--_our_ future, and to deny her is to deny _me._ Go, and live, Inuyasha. And let me go...please." She gave him a small, sad smile. "After all, are we not fortunate beyond all others, in that we know, without a doubt, that our souls will be reunited? Kagome is my rival, my hope, my _proof._"

Inuyasha met that clear, dark gaze, and knew he was defeated. He was going to lose her--again. He sighed, feeling as if his chest were being clawed open.

"Edward," he said, hoarsely, to the man standing some distance away, his back discreetly turned. "Go fetch your brother."

Edward shot him a glance filled with misery and regret, and left.

As soon as he was out of sight, Inuyasha bent, and kissed Kikyo as tenderly as he knew how, his mouth moving over the rigid curve of her lips with mingled grief, memory and regret. "I loved you," he murmured as he drew back. "You were my first friend."

"And I loved you, though I did not do so either wisely, or well," Kikyo replied, her mouth brushing his as she spoke. "And you were my only friend. My sister was too young, and the villagers wanted a protector. Only you saw me as something more." She kissed him, a cool chaste touch, and continued: "I am happy to see that you are surrounded by friends and well-loved these days, Inuyasha."

The sound of crackling twigs announced Edward's return.

Inuyasha stepped back and regretfully released Kikyo. He wanted to keep holding her, and maybe find some way of convincing her to stay with him, just a little longer, but he wouldn't embarrass her by embracing her publicly.

"Are--are you sure about this?" Edward asked her, casting a nervous glance at Inuyasha.

Kikyo nodded, and Inuyasha struggled with himself before nodding as well.

Edward sighed. "My brother was trapped, like you, once. I found a way to get his body back. Can't we do the same for you?"

Kikyo shook her head. "My body is long gone, Edward-sama, devoured by the flames of my funeral pyre. I have been dead for fifty years, and I desire only to escape this incarnation."

"Okay," Edward said. "I'll--I'll do it. If that's really the only way you can…rest." His shoulders were slumped, and even with his long bangs hiding his eyes, Inuyasha could see that his expression was deeply unhappy.

Alphonse, looming behind his brother, gave Kikyo and Inuyasha a sharp, assessing glance. "Will you swear not to do anything to Brother?" he asked, abruptly.

"What?" Inuyasha asked.

Alphonse glared at him. "Brother explained the situation on the walk over here," he continued, as if speaking to a very young child. "He said you were angry and that you disagreed with Kikyo-san's request." Alphonse paused. "And he's also got a nasty lump on the back of his head now, so I'm asking you, Inuyasha-san: will you promise not to hurt Brother or me if we agree to do this thing."

Inuyasha set his jaw. Alphonse didn't want to help? Fine by him! Let Kikyo find another way of--

"Inuyasha, please," she said wearily. "I beg you. Do you want me to get down on my knees to you?"

"N-no," he stammered, his face growing uncomfortably hot. Damn her, knowing he couldn't refuse her.

He turned to the Elric brothers. "All right," he snarled. "I promise I won't lay a finger on you for going along with Kikyo's plan."

"Good," said Alphonse, triumphantly, hands on his hips.

"Do you need a little time?" Edward asked, his voice low with sympathy. He kept his gaze fastened on his scuffed and muddied shoes. "To--to say goodbye?"

Damn it, but Inuyasha wished the foreign bastard wouldn't keep doing shit like this! It was easier to deal with him when he was being an asshole. "No. We've already--we're done. Just get on with it."

"Kikyo-san?" Al asked.

She inclined her head. "I'm ready. Goodbye, Inuyasha. Please remember me."

_How could I ever forget you?_ His vision was growing blurry again, and he turned away in feigned annoyance. Damned if he was going to let Edward and Alphonse see him crying like a fucking girl!

He heard the rustle of footsteps behind him, and the soft murmur of the sorcerer's voices, bidding Kikyo farewell. Edward cleared his throat repeatedly during his short speech.

Then came the dreaded sound of Edward's clap, and the tingle and bright light of their sorcery. Despite himself, Inuyasha turned to look.

He saw Kikyo engulfed in a burst of light brighter than any transmutation, forming a column that reached for the heavens. It faded away slowly, leaving golden after-images in Inuyasha's vision.

When the light was entirely gone, so was Kikyo. He saw only her crumpled red-and-white miko garments under Goshinboku, and a pile of dust, fine as ashes, dotted with small, charred fragments of bone.

Distantly, he noted as Edward and Alphonse departed, but there was a roaring in his ears as he stood and stared at the remains, and he found himself unable to focus on anything else.

A breeze sprang up, and stirred the dust. Inuyasha, impelled to action, fell to his knees and carefully gathered up the dust and pieces of bone, tenderly folding the _chihaya_ around them. He would give them to Kaede, to be reburied in the grave that Urasue had violated these many months ago.

She was gone. Really and truly gone. She had left him behind.

A sob took him by surprise as he knelt there, and more followed, shaking him like an enemy's blows. Inuyasha tried to fight them, tried to regain his self-control, and found himself defeated.

Inuyasha wept. There were no witnesses, no one to notice and mock a hanyou boy bent double, his hair hanging in the dead leaves that carpeted the ground under Goshinboku, tears streaming relentlessly down his face.

He mourned the lonely, proud girl he had known, fifty years ago. He mourned the boy he had been, mistrustful and feral and aching for affection. And most of all, he mourned the terrible waste of her life. Naraku was dead now. But so was she, and things would never go back to the way they were, before.

He cried until he had no more tears, until his body ached with the force of his sobs. Until he felt completely emptied of emotion, as hollow as a rotted log.

Then he scrubbed at his face with his sleeves until his cheeks burned, drew his legs up to his chest, and simply sat, forehead resting on his knees.

After a long time, he heard someone approaching.

The breeze informed him it was Kagome long before she appeared. He didn't bother lifting his head.

Mercifully, she didn't try making conversation. She sank down beside him, and leaned close, offering wordless comfort with the press of her shoulder against his.

She was soft, and warm. _So warm..._

With a muffled moan, he uncurled, and turned to her. He put his arms around her waist, and buried his face in her shoulder.

After a small, surprised noise on her part, and a bit of wriggling to situate them both more comfortably, he found himself half-settled in her lap. She held him close. He felt her first, hesitant touch on his hair.

He exhaled, relaxing more fully against her, and her touch gained confidence. She combed her fingers through his bangs, and moved carefully around the bases of his sensitive ears, her nails scraping lightly against his scalp.

Inuyasha spent another timeless interval of not-thinking, just absorbing the salving touch she was offering him.

"It hurts," he said, finally, his voice sounding strange to himself, all choked and nasal.

"I know," she replied softly, never stopping the soothing scratch of her fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

"Promise you won't leave me?" Damn, that sounded pitiful, but he felt too weary, too battered to care about his pride now.

She hesitated. "Edward and Alphonse want to go back to 1925 tomorrow. That horrible Ikeda-san is still waiting for us, and--and I have to go, too, to tell the boys about Uncle Souta."

Kagome sighed, unhappily, at the prospect of having to deliver bad news.

A thousand possibilities occurred to Inuyasha. With the jewel completed, what if the time-slip through Bone-eater's Well closed forever? He couldn't bear the thought of finding himself locked on the other side of the well from her.

_Especially_ if she were stranded together with Alphonse, just like before.

"I want to come with you," Inuyasha said.

**Canon and Historical Notes**

**Goshinboku** - sacred tree

**chihaya** - the top part of a miko's outfit, which looks like a white, kimono-style blouse.

As always, thanks to Ginny, aka **kokoronagomu**, for beta-reading, and for supplying some of the correct clothing terminology in this chapter. You rock, my dear!


	37. Special Delivery

The next day started with an interment ceremony for what remained of Kikyo. There was a small memorial shrine and grave marker located at the top of the hill behind Kaede's cottage. To Ed's surprise, both he and Alphonse were invited to attend.

Ed was feeling bleary and generally out-of-sorts with the world as he stood in respectful silence with the village's inhabitants and his traveling companions.

He had spent a sleepless night on the hard boards of Kaede's cottage, staring at the slow progress of a beam of moonlight coming through the single latticed window as he relived the afternoon's events.

_Had_ he done the right thing by agreeing to Kikyo's request?

Kikyo had fucking _begged_ him to do it, he told himself. How could he have refused to end her pain, when it was within his power to do so?

But why hadn't he found another way, another solution?

_I used to be good at fixing things,_ he had thought. Almost immediately came a mocking rejoinder in the voice of his own guilt: _Oh, really? Like you fixed your mother? Like you fixed Lior?_

Ed had sighed, curled up, and tormented by regrets for the things he had done, as well as the things he hadn't, had waited for the moonlight to fade with dawn.

Standing next to him now, listening to Miroku pronounce a blessing over Kikyo's grave, Alphonse looked no better. He was pale, with dark shadows under his hazel eyes, and he had been conspicuously silent and unsmiling over the simple breakfast of green tea and rice-and-vegetable porridge.

Alphonse, too, had a spent a sleepless night in Kaede's cottage.

Neither Inuyasha nor Kagome had made an appearance at the evening meal, nor had they returned from wherever it was that they'd gone by the time Ed had been roped into helping transfer the thin futon mattresses from a storage shed to the cottage. Ed wasn't surprised--he'd seen how thinly Inuyasha's rage had covered his pain and grief, and knew that the hanyou would seek solitude to grieve.

But that Kagome had apparently gone to comfort him while he mourned another woman--well, that took a more generous heart than Ed knew he would have had in her place. It was clear--to him, at least--that Kagome loved Inuyasha with all her heart and soul. And that he was devoted to her, in turn, no matter his past relationship with Kikyo.

Al had apparently realized it, too--Ed had seen his brother's air of quiet hopefulness fade to depressed silence as the shadows had lengthened and Kagome remained absent.

Inuyasha and Kagome had emerged from the forest just after dawn.

Ed had slipped out of the cottage as soon as it grew light enough to see. He had been crouched over his shaving mirror, perched precariously on the chopping block used for kindling, trying scrape away enough of his whiskers to present a decent appearance at Kikyo's memorial service.

It would have been the painless work of an instant to use alchemy to achieve a clean-shaven look, but Kagome had taken the Jewel with her when she went to comfort Inuyasha.

Besides, Al had finally fallen asleep an hour or two earlier, and Ed wouldn't have had the heart to rouse him for the transmutation, anyway.

A movement glimpsed out of the corner of his eye had made him look up just in time to see the pair leave the shelter of the trees. They had been walking hand-in-hand, though Inuyasha had loosed his grip and stepped discreetly away from Kagome as soon as he had spotted Ed.

Both of them had looked strained and exhausted, and Ed had not missed the brief, tender touch that Kagome brushed along Inuyasha's cheek just before they had parted, she to visit the outhouse and he to stand guard outside the cottage, scowling into the middle distance.

Now, listening to Miroku chant Buddhist sutras over the small mound of newly-turned earth in front of the marker, Ed wondered what to do next.

Miroku stopped chanting. Kaede rang a hand-bell several times, and the monk raised his bare (and newly-healed) right hand in a gesture of blessing. With that, the memorial service was over, and Ed followed the others back down the stone stairs to the bottom of the hill.

Once there, Ed stood looking at what remained of the supplies that he, Al, and Professor Higurashi had brought with them. Should he bother lugging any of it back to 1925?

Assuming that they could even get _back_ to 1925, he thought glumly.

The chances of anything actually going right at this point seemed pretty abysmal. But with Envy blown to useless smithereens, and Inuyasha rightfully resentful of all the pain and loss that Ed's arrival had brought him, how could he and Al possibly stay here?

This whole expedition, Ed decided, had been a fucking failure from beginning to end.

Then he sawKohaku and Sango pass by, and saw Kohaku's grin as he said something to his sister. _Okay, so I did one thing right._

Only that one thing, though.

And he still had to face Souta's brothers, and tell them that he had taught the professor just enough alchemy to allow him to kill himself in a truly spectacular fashion. Ed swallowed, feeling sick to his stomach at the prospect.

"You seem troubled," Miroku said, and Ed started. He had not noticed the monk's approach. "Are you not anticipating your return home?"

"Not _home,_" Ed replied, bitterly. "We can't go home--not now." He sighed, and jammed his hands into his trouser pockets. "Without Envy, the best we can manage is maybe to return to Tokyo. And if we're really lucky, whatever I did to the well can be undone, and Kagome will be able to return to her own time. But Al and me--" Ed shrugged.

"Ah," Miroku said, sympathetically. He tucked his hands into the wide sleeves of his monk's robe, and gazed thoughtfully over the silvery mosaic of rice paddies surrounding the village. After a short period of contemplation, he asked, "Why can't you go home without the dragon?"

"Because to open the Gate between the world that Al and I came from, and this world, you need the blood of someone born on the other side of the Gate. Either that, or the Philosopher's Stone," Ed answered.

"Hm." Another period of contemplative silence, then Miroku asked, "Edward-sama, what is the difference between a transmutation powered by the jewel and one powered by this Philosopher's Stone?"

"Huh?" Ed was startled by the question. "Nothing, I guess."

"Well, then." Miroku smiled, a bit smugly. "Perhaps you should ask Kagome-sama if she will lend you the Jewel's power to open this gate you speak of."

"Can't see why she'd want to help us," Ed muttered, frowning. "We've done nothing but make trouble for her since this whole thing started."

"Perhaps because you would be doing her--all of us, actually--an enormous favor?" Miroku countered. "You see, one of the legends surrounding the Jewel is that it has the power to grant wishes, and in doing so, it will finally disappear from the world."

"You mean--you want us to use it all up?" Ed ran his gloved automail hand through his hair. "Doesn't she have something she wants to wish for? Or anyone else here?"

"There's nothing I want that the Jewel can give me," Kagome said, as she approached, followed closely by Inuyasha. "And sending you and Al-kun home seems a worthy use of the Jewel's power."

She shot Inuyasha a significant look, perhaps asking his permission. He stared back at her for a long moment, then shrugged. "Fine by me. The sooner those two assholes leave, the better."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome reprimanded, and he hunched his shoulders, looking defensive.

"Thank you," Ed said, hastily, and her attention swung back to him. "I'd like to go back to 1925, first. Unfinished business, and all that."

Kagome nodded. "I have to return there, as well." She sighed. "I have to tell my other uncles what happened to Uncle Souta."

Inuyasha scowled. "I'm coming with you, Kagome. Just in case Edward fucks up and breaks the well. Again." He gave Ed a challenging stare.

"Fine by me." Ed was too tired to argue. Besides, the hanyou was right. "Maybe you can convince Ikeda to leave the Higurashi family alone."

"Yeah, maybe I can." Inuyasha's scowl vanished, replaced by a fanged grin as he cracked his knuckles.

oo0oo

The journey back to Tokyo through the Bone-eater's Well proved astonishingly easy, much to Ed's surprise. The only difficulty lay in how to fit the bulky stone box that contained the serpent youkai into the well.

Inuyasha, with his superhuman strength, was able to lift the box easily enough, but it was a little too wide to fit easily through the narrow opening at the top of the well-shaft. The annoyed youkai's incessant thrashing didn't help with maneuvering it through a tight fit, either.

Ed frowned, assessing his options. If he thinned the walls of the youkai's stone prison, then the enraged youkai might be able to break free. But maybe if they changed the material composition of the box…

Al apparently came to the same conclusions as Ed, because before Ed could speak, he said: "Why don't we change the stone to metal, Brother? Perhaps use a titanium alloy…?"

His little brother was a genius, thought Ed. Too bad they hadn't thought of this solution earlier…of course, with Inuyasha supplying the muscle to lift the box, and their makeshift automobile to transport it, there hadn't really been a need.

"Yeah," replied Ed. "That'll do the trick." The proper set of symbols to include in the transmutation circle for changing stone to metal sprang immediately to his mind, as they always did.

Kagome loaned them the jewel, and a few minutes later, they were ready to depart.

"You mean you could have done this back in Kasama?" Inuyasha grumbled, hefting the much-slimmer (and much lighter) box, now made of silvery metal.

_Baiting this guy is really much too easy._ Ed grinned maliciously at him. "What's the matter, Inuyasha-san? I thought you told us that it wasn't too heavy for you."

The hanyou flushed. "Fuck you."

"No, thank you," Ed replied primly. "You're not my type."

Inuyasha growled something under his breath, but Ed noticed that he didn't mention the box's weight again. _Yeah, that was too easy._

Then it was time for farewells. Ed had long decided that he certainly wouldn't miss the lack of indoor plumbing or the boring medieval Japanese diet of rice, vegetables, and fish, but he would miss his new friends. In particular, he had enjoyed his talks with Miroku, once he and the monk had ironed out their difficulties.

Both Kohaku and Sango thanked him with low bows, which made Ed extremely uncomfortable, but he was glad to see that someone, at least, had gotten a happy ending out of this whole time-travel misadventure.

Kagome, Al, Inuyasha, and Ed all climbed into the well, and stood carefully around the edges of the chalked transmutation circle still visible at the bottom. Al stood next to Kagome, with Inuyasha on her other side, but he carefully didn't look at her.

It was a little crowded, but the transmutation flared obligingly to life, followed by the sensation of floating through a starry void.

When the ground solidified again under his feet, it had gotten a lot darker. Ed looked up, and saw the wooden ceiling of the well-house high above.

An instant later, Ikeda peeked over the rim of the well. He looked dyspeptic. "What now, Alphonse-kun?" he demanded. "Didn't the girl's trick work?"

"What?" Ed replied. "Of course it worked! We've been gone for over two weeks, maybe three…I've lost track of time."

"You," Ikeda said, obviously startled. "You've been gone for a week, but, just now, Alphonse-kun and Professor Higurashi…" his voice trailed off as his gaze traveled around the bottom of the well. "Where _is_ the Professor? And who's _that?_"

"Professor Higurashi is…gone," Ed replied, ignoring Ikeda's last question. There'd be enough time to explain Inuyasha's presence once they all got out of this well. But for now, the shadows appeared to be deep enough to hide Inuyasha's distinctive features. "But we've got a dragon for you. Or at least a reasonable imitation of one."

"Reasonable imitation?" Ikeda's face darkened. "You _failed?_"

The rope ladder was still in place. Figuring this was a conversation easier held if he wasn't shouting up from the bottom of a well, Ed began to climb.

Alphonse and Kagome followed him, leaving Inuyasha still at the bottom of the well, holding the tall metal case that was nearly three times his height.

"We did bring you a dragon," Ed temporized. "Just a smaller one, that's all."

He fought the temptation to roll his eyes in exasperation at Ikeda. Hell, that serpent-youkai even had a spiky frill around its neck. Except for the lack of legs, the youkai looked close enough to paintings of Chinese dragons to pass for one.

_Now is not the time to be picky, you officious bastard. _

"I specifically ordered you," Ikeda said, through gritted teeth, "to bring back the dragon that escaped."

"Yeah, well, things didn't work out that way," Ed shot back, ignoring Al's cautionary hand on his left shoulder.

"And I warned you, did I not, about the consequences of failure?" Ikeda continued.

"Maybe you should be happy that we brought you something that you actually have some chance of controlling," Ed retorted. "The last one got away, didn't it?"

Al's grip on his shoulder tightened. "_Brother_," he murmured.

Ed took a calming breath. "Even this one will be difficult to handle. We had a hell of a time catching it and putting it that box."

Ikeda sneered. "I think you're just making excuses for your incompetence."

"If you like, sir," Al said, his voice suddenly deep in a way that made Ed think, _Uh-oh, my little brother's lost his temper at last,_ "We'll open the cage, and you see how well your men can handle this youkai."

Ed couldn't see Al's expression, but he must have looked mighty convincing, because the three policemen accompanying Ikeda began to edge nervously away from their commander.

"Youkai? There's no such--" Ikeda sputtered to a stop, perhaps realizing the absurdity in insisting that youkai were imaginary while admitting the existence of dragons. "You wouldn't _dare_ release such a thing here," he resumed gamely, his face reddening. "Not with a houseful of boys nearby, and what about the neighbors?"

Ikeda smirked, as if proud of his own cleverness.

The smug expression vanished an instant later, coinciding with the heavy double thump of Inuyasha leaping out of the well, and the sound of the youkai's box being set down firmly.

"W-ho are you?" Ikeda breathed, his gaze taking in Inuyasha's antiquated garb. Ed saw his eyes widen as he noticed the ears.

Inuyasha gave the man a grin that showed an awful lot of fang. "I'm the protector of this shrine and this family, asshole."

"An inugami," one of other policemen breathed, reverently. "Forgive us for intruding, kami-sama!" This last was accompanied by a rapid bobbing of deep bows in the hanyou's direction, and a rapid shuffle backwards, towards the well-house's sliding doors.

Ed did his best not to laugh out loud.

"Shut up, and stop that, you superstitious fools!" Ikeda growled at his men, who froze obediently. He turned his attention back to Inuyasha. "Why are you here?"

Inuyasha, still grinning fiercely, drew his sword. The slender blade transformed in a blaze of light. "I'm here to make sure that youkai doesn't hurt any _innocents._ But you guys--you're on your own." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the metal box. "Now, are you gonna take this fucking snake-in-a-box off my hands, or not?"

Cowed as he was, Ikeda still had guts, Ed had to admit. The man actually managed to look as if he were thinking it over before he nodded with stiff dignity. "I guess it will be acceptable."

"A dragon in the hand being worth two in the past?" whispered Al, ironically, in Ed's ear.

He still hadn't released Ed's shoulder from his grip, and a sideways glance showed Ed why: Al was holding the Shikon-no-Tama in his other hand. Kagome must have handed it to him, in case the two of them needed to use alchemy. _Good._

But Ikeda made no more threats as he and his men withdrew from the well-house, staggering and grunting under the weight of the box as they lifted and carried their prize with them.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," Ed heard Kagome say.

There was a tender smile on her face as she gazed up at Inuyasha, and Al's grip on Ed's shoulder tightened painfully.

_Sorry, little brother, _Ed thought, sympathetically, but he knew better than to open his mouth and actually _say_ something.

From outside, came the coughing roar of an internal-combusion engine starting, then the sound of a vehicle driving away.

Ikeda and his men were gone, and hopefully would not be returning any time soon.

Now it was time for the really difficult conversation.

oo0oo

After she finished speaking, Kagome looked up to see the row of boys' faces staring back at her in shocked silence.

No one said anything. Shiro and Shou, the oldest set of twins, were staring down at their feet. Takeshi had his hand jammed in his trouser pockets, his mouth set in a grim line. Twelve-year-old Kaoru had a tight grasp on his twin brother Yoshi's hand, and Ryuichi, the youngest, was staring at Inuyasha with unabashed fascination and hostility.

Delivering this news had been far, far worse than Kagome had expected, even with the supporting presences of Inuyasha, Edward, and Alphonse in the room with her. Despite her trepidation, she had insisted on being the one to actually speak, since these boys were her relations.

Takeshi finally broke the silence. "So Ikeda-san and…and the others won't be coming back, either?" he asked, hesitantly.

Inuyasha answered. "Don't think so, kid." He let his clawed hand drop casually to Tetsusaiga's hilt, and Takeshi's eyes widened.

"Souta-no-niisan was really killed by the dragon?" asked Shiro.

Kagome nodded. "I'm really sorry," she said, with heartfelt sincerity.

She had hoped, after Souta's body vanished so mysteriously, that she would return to Tokyo to discover that he was all right after all. _I remember Great-Uncle Souta as an old man. I remember he spent time teaching at a university in Italy after the war. What happened? Have I changed the past? Can I still go home?_

"Do--did you bring Souta-no-niisan's ashes home?" Shou's voice was choked, and his eyes were suspiciously bright. " We--I--should put them in the family grave."

Kagome shook her head. "I'm really sorry," she said again, helplessly. _We can't even hold a proper funeral for Uncle Souta! _

"Here, kid, take these." Inuyasha reached into the breast of his fire-rat suikan, and extended his hand. Resting on his calloused palm were two pale-green dragon scales. "It's not much of a memorial, but your older brother was a damned brave guy."

Shou made a move to accept them. Then Ryuichi, who had been staring at Inuyasha this entire time, screwed up his face and shouted, "I don't believe you. _You_ killed Nii-san, I know you did, because you're an _oni!_"

He reached inside his pocket, and darted forward. Before Kagome could react, the little boy had slapped an ofuda against Inuyasha's chest.

_Poor Inuyasha! This was so unfair_, thought Kagome. "Ryuichi-kun, please don't--" she began.

"You killed him! Admit you killed him, monster!" the boy screamed. He was beginning to cry now, and his tears just seemed to make him angrier. He knuckled at his eyes. "I hate you!"

"Envy--the dragon--killed your brother, not Inuyasha. You've got the wrong guy, kid," Ed tried, but Ryuichi ignored him.

Shiro and Shou both grabbed for Ryuichi's arms before he could launch a second assault upon the startled Inuyasha. "Stop it!"

"Yeah, kid, that dragon killed your brother. He put up a really good fight, though," Inuyasha said, with rare gentleness. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him--it seems he was a much better older brother to you than my older brother is to me, the asshole," he added, under his breath.

"You're lying!" Ryuichi insisted, squirming and struggling against his brothers' restraining hold. But his conviction was beginning to falter.

Inuyasha huffed. "We're all tellin' you the same thing, twerp, and why would we lie to you? The dragon killed Souta and _I_ killed the dragon."

"When I grow up, I'll be an even more powerful priest than Souta-no-niisan. I'll slay all the demons!" yelled the boy.

Kagome winced, and sneaked a sidelong glance at Inuyasha. To her relief, he didn't look angry, just resigned and a little sad. "You do that, kid. When you've grown up a little, maybe you can take me on."

Ryuichi's threats became incoherent as he started to sob in earnest. "I want my brother back!"

"I'm sorry," Kagome whispered to Inuyasha. "I didn't think he'd--"

"Kid's in pain, and wants to blame someone. Better me than you," Inuyasha interrupted, tucking his hands into this sleeves, and doing his best to look impassive in the face of Ryuichi's overwhelming grief.

Some of the other boys were beginning to sniffle now, too..

"You are a truly kind person," Kagome murmured, marveling, as she always did, how his rough, rude exterior hid compassion and loving heart.

His cheeks turned a charming shade of red. "Keh," he scoffed. "At least we know that the kid never did get any real spiritual powers."

Kagome's lips quirked. "Poor Jii-san. I wonder if he remembered you, when you first met in my time."

Shou approached her, and bowed formally. "Thank you for bringing us this news, Kagome-san," he said. Then, looking uncertain, he asked, "What do we do now?"

"Do you have any other relatives who could serve as your legal guardians?" Alphonse asked, looking solemn and subdued.

Kagome smiled at him gratefully, but he was still stubbornly refusing to meet her gaze.

"There's Akio-no-niisan…" Shou answered. "We could send a telegram to the head of his temple in Kyoto."

Ed nodded. "Yeah, let's do that. We'll stay until your brother arrives."

"And I'll make sure those assholes who took the snake youkai don't give you any more trouble," added Inuyasha.

oo0oo

_Tokyo, Three Days Later_

"Kagome-chan, will you come home to Amestris with me?" Alphonse was wearing the resigned but determined expression of someone who already knew the answer, but felt compelled to ask the question, anyway.

She was in the well-house, once more clad in her own school uniform and loafers, watching Edward painstakingly lay out a new and very complex transmutation circle at the bottom of the well.

Their obligations completed with Akio Higurashi's arrival at the shrine, they had decided it was time to see if the Shikon-no-Tama could open a gate home for the Elric brothers.

At Alphonse's question, Kagome glanced around nervously, but Inuyasha was probably in the house, letting Akio fix him some of the monk's delicious homemade ramen in return for answering an endless stream of questions about youkai.

The young, shaven-headed man had arrived by train from Kyoto yesterday, and had immediately taken charge of the household with quiet authority. "I'm used to dealing with novice monks," he had told Kagome, when she expressed her surprise. "They're not much older than my brothers."

The brothers in question were at school. So, other than Edward, there were no witnesses to the conversation.

There had been no public funeral for Souta, since Akio decided to explain his disappearance on the Tokkou sending him away to fulfill a new assignment. But Akio and his brothers had burned incense for their missing older brother, and had made an offering of rice and sake in front of a photograph of Souta placed near a small altar dedicated to the Higurashi ancestors.

"Um, Al-kun" Kagome began, her heart sinking under the hopeful expression in those hazel eyes. So much for her attempts to avoid this extremely uncomfortable conversation. "I would like to think that we've become good friends during your visit to our world. You're so smart, and nice, and--and--" she stopped, not sure how to continue.

"--and _not_ Inuyasha?" Alphonse finished for her, looking sad. "God, Kagome, how can you be so loyal to him? He's rude, he yells at you all the time, and what about Kik--"

Kagome put her finger against his lips, noting that they were cold and a little chapped.

Alphonse stopped speaking at her touch. She felt him draw breath sharply, and then he stilled.

"Inuyasha is brave, kind, and loyal to his friends," Kagome said, trying to articulate the truth that her heart knew. "And I--I --" _love him,_ "--promised him that I would stay at his side, no matter what."

"You shouldn't come second-best to anyone, Kagome," Alphonse said, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"What makes you think I am?" Kagome asked. "I'm not Kikyo, but Inuyasha doesn't want me to be her. She holds a special place in his heart. And…so do I, I think."

Okay, she had never said that last part aloud to anyone before, but she knew it was the truth.

Even if speaking it made her face grow hot. She probably looked red as a tomato now.

"So, this is goodbye?" Alphonse still looked sad, but at least he didn't look surprised.

"I hope with all my heart that you and Edward-san can make it home, and see your friends again," Kagome told him. "You're an important person to me, Al-kun. I'm sorry that I don't have--have _those_ kinds of feelings for you, but you matter to me, you do! I want you and your brother to be happy."

"And now, if you're finished with the sappy conversation," Ed's sarcastic voice floated up from the bottom of the well, "then let's get this show on the road. The transmutation array is finished."

"Yes, Brother," Al said, in tones of exaggerated resignation.

Kagome laughed, and began to step away. Al's hands didn't release her shoulders, though. When she looked up at him in puzzlement, he bent, and she felt the cool brush of his lips against hers.

"You--" she began to protest. _Two kisses, and neither of them from--_

"You're an important person to me, too, Kagome-chan," Alphonse whispered. "I hope he makes you happy."

"I--I should go fetch Akio-san and Inuyasha," she said, her mouth tingling with guilt and regret, and fled the well-house.

oo0oo

Despite Edward's cautions about the possible dangers of putting his youki in such close proximity with alchemy, Inuyasha insisted on standing next to Kagome as she, Edward, and Alphonse climbed down into the Bone-eater's Well, and arranged themselves at specific points around the edge of the intricate transmutation circle.

"If you fuck up again, and suck Kagome through that Gate of yours," Inuyasha declared. "Then I'm making damned sure that I get sucked through, too."

Ed rolled his eyes. "If that isn't true love, I don't know what is."

Kagome saw Alphonse wince at his brother's words. Inuyasha's hand squeezed hers, then let go.

"Fuck off, asshole," Inuyasha told Edward in a tone that bordered on the maniacally cheerful.

There was a pause as Edward directed them each to stand at specific points of the transmutation circle. Then, he moved slowly to a point equidistant from his brother, Inuyasha, and Kagome, and just stood there for a long moment, staring down at the pattern, and scowling.

"What's wrong, Edward-san?" Kagome paused, looking at his unhappy expression.

He glanced up at her with his golden eyes, then looked away. "I just don't believe that this is really going to work," he muttered. "We've tried so many times--I just don't want to get my hopes up again."

The Shikon-no-Tama gave a warm pulse in Kagome's hand. "I think it _will_ work, Edward-san, Al-kun, if you have faith. And I'm hoping that your wish will free Midoriko from her battle inside this jewel."

"Try not to break the well again," Inuyasha added. "I don't wanna end up stranded here. This place smells worse than Kagome's time."

Ed gave him a crooked smile. "I'll do my best." He took a deep breath and looked at his brother. "Okay, Al, Kagome-chan. Ready...steady...GO!"

At his signal, Kagome knelt, placed her right hand over the symbol that Ed had pointed out to her earlier, and concentrated on channeling the power of the jewel down through the transmutation circle.

"I wish for Edward-san and Alphonse-kun to find their way home," she said, out loud, and felt the jewel respond with a strong, tingling wave of power that flowed up one arm, through her chest, and down her other arm into the pattern on the ground.

Rose-colored light flared up, brightening gradually to gold, then platinum. The center of the array vanished, replacing by a shimmering circle of opalescent light.

Together, Edward and Alphonse stepped forward, waved at her in farewell, and began to sink slowly into that light, as if immersing themselves in a glowing pool of water.

"Goodbye!" called Kagome. "Good luck!"

"And good riddance," muttered Inuyasha, as the brothers vanished.

She continued to feed energy into the circle as long as she could, until the waves of energy passing through her from the jewel had faded to a mere trickle.

Then, she sat back on her heels with a sigh, and watched as the brilliant light faded away, until the transmutation circle had returned once more to merely chalk and earth at the bottom of the well.

Kagome looked at the jewel in her hand. It was nearly clear now, with only the faintest tinge of pink.

Inuyasha's warm breath tickled her neck and ear, making her shiver pleasantly as he leaned forward. "Still not gone? What a persistent bastard."

She turned her head a little to look at him. "I'm a little relieved," she said. "Because I'm not sure I can get home without it."

"Hm," Inuyasha grunted. "Well, let's get rid of this thing," he indicated the transmutation circle with a sweep of his wide red sleeve, "and see if we can get back to your family."

Kagome watched as Inuyasha enthusiastically erased Ed's circle with scuffs of his bare feet, until the chalk-powder patterns had vanished into shapeless gray smudges.

Had Ed's circle worked? Had the jewel really sent the Elric brothers home to their world?

She hoped so. In any case, they were gone, and she would never know.

Kagome touched her lips, thinking of Alphonse, and hoped that he would find someone in his world who returned his feelings.

"You ready to go?"

Kagome blinked, pulled from her thoughts, and found herself staring at the puffy red fabric of Inuyasha's hakama. He extended a clawed hand, and she let him pull her to her feet.

To her surprise, he didn't release her as soon as she was standing. Instead, he looped his arm around her waist, and drew her close.

"I-Inuyasha," she said, in surprise.

"Not gonna risk being separated by the well," he told her, in tones of determination.

"Good," she replied, and boldly put her arm around his waist in return. "I want us to be together forever, Inuyasha."

The familiar feeling of floating through space took over, and Kagome saw the night sky all around them as the time-slip opened and received them. Holding on to each other tightly, they drifted through the void, and came to rest again, gently, on hard-packed earth.

Kagome looked up, and saw the bamboo ladder that Jii-san had left for her. "I think we made it!"

Inuyasha took a deep sniff. "Yeah, smells right to me. And I think your mother is cooking ginger pork. Hope it's not too spicy this time."

As for the Shikon-no-Tama... Kagome looked down at the sphere still clutched in her hand. It was now entirely colorless.

Had she imagined Midoriko's voice just now, just the barest whisper? _Thank you, Kagome-chan. I am freed._

A shiver of air, almost as if invisible hands were tenderly touching her hair, and then the jewel disintegrated into a puff of sparkling dust.

It was gone. Fifty years of trouble and sorrow...and now it was over. Kagome wondered what Inuyasha was thinking now, to see the instrument of his greatest troubles just vanish.

Well, they had paid for each and every shard with blood, tears, and sweat, thought Kagome.

"Is everything all right?" she inquired. Noticing that she still had her arm around him, she started to move away.

He didn't let her. She felt his grip tighten, and his leg brushed against her as he bent his knees. Then, they were flying upwards, landing with a thump on the ground just outside the well.

Inuyasha still didn't release her, something that made her glad while it puzzled her, since he wasn't normally very demonstrative. He did shift his grip from her waist to her hand as they left the well-house, and walked, hand-in-hand across the courtyard of the shrine to the gate that led to Kagome's house.

"_Tadaima!_" she called, as she slid open the front door and slipped out of her shoes.

"Welcome back, Kagome-chan," came Mama's cheerful answer from the kitchen. The smell of cooking food made Kagome's stomach give an embarrassing rumble. "Are you all right? You were only gone for a day this time."

"I'm fine, Mama. And Inuyasha came with me," she replied.

"Oh, good. Welcome back, Inuyasha," Mama's voice floated down the hall. "I have plenty of dinner, and some of those radish pickles that you like so much. Both of you, wash up, and then come to the table...dinner is nearly ready."

"Thank you, Mama!" Kagome took a step in the direction of the washroom, then paused in the hallway, struck by the need to know something.

Inuyasha still didn't want to let go of her hand, so she slid open the closest door and pulled him into the living room after her. It was empty--her younger brother Souta must still be upstairs in his room, doing homework, since the TV was turned off and the video game controller placed under the TV stand.

She crossed the room, looking for the photograph she remembered. There it was, on the bookshelf next to the antique Chinese vase!

_I didn't change the past! I didn't mess anything up!_

It was an informal portrait of Souta and Akiko as a handsome elderly couple standing in front of the Higurashi Shrine's main building. He looked distinguished with his salt-and-pepper hair, a tweed jacket and reading glasses, and she wore a beautiful peach-and-green kimono, her hair silver and her face lined but still beautiful.

"He didn't die after all!" Kagome said, and impulsively turned to give Inuyasha a hug. "It's going to be okay!"

She wondered how and when Souta would return to his home, and his brothers, but the photograph was proof that he _had_ returned, alive and well, even after those horrible injuries.

Inuyasha returned the embrace with sudden fervor. "I'm glad," he murmured, resting his cheek against her hair.

She felt him bend further down. "And I'm glad you didn't go with _him,_" he whispered, his lips brushing her ear.

_Inuyasha was worried? About Alphonse, of all people? Did he know about the kiss?_

"I would _never_ leave you," she replied, fiercely, her fingers digging into the scratchy fabric of his fire-rat jacket. "How could you even think it?"

He stared down at her, swallowing convulsively. "I--uh--he...ah, fuck!" he muttered, closing his eyes.

Alphonse had kissed her. And she had never---

_I want to stay with you forever_, Inuyasha had told her, time and again. Time to find out what that really meant.

Not giving herself the opportunity to chicken out, Kagome rose on her tiptoes, and gave Inuyasha a quick peck on the lips. It was just the barest touch, but she could still feel the line of his mouth against hers as she pulled away, as if she had not stopped kissing him.

He jerked in surprise, his golden eyes wide.

_Oh no, did I do the wrong thing? What if he didn't mean--_

Then his calloused palms were cradling her cheeks, his fingers brushing her earlobes as they slid into her hair, making a thrilling shiver race down her spine and through the pit of her stomach. _Oh. He wasn't mad--he's going to--_

"_Tadaima_," he said, in a choked voice, just before his mouth claimed hers in a lingering kiss that was both gentle and demanding.

Kagome had come home, at last. And so had Inuyasha.

**Author's Notes**

Wow...finally finished! (Except for the epilogue, which will be posted in a few days, which will reveal the fates of the Elric brothers, Ikeda, and Souta Higurashi.)

This story represents over a year of writing effort--I began it as my 2007 NaNoWriMo project, with the intention of making it a novella-length Christmas gift-fic for my friend Pam, who had requested an FMA/Inuyasha crossover. Then the story grew...and grew...and grew...and turned into a year-long birthday present, instead.

Okay on to the glossary part of my notes:

**Inugami:** dog-spirit. A minor guardian deity believed to serve or protect specific individuals.

**Nii-san**_:_ polite term referring to an older brother.

**Suikan**: a jacket-like outer robe

**Oni**: in Japanese folklore, wicked or evil humanoid creatures with fangs and claws, variously referred to in English as demons, devils, ogres or trolls.

**Ofuda**: a paper charm against evil, usually inscribed with a sutra (a verse from Buddhist holy scripture)

**Jii-san**: polite but informal term for "grandfather"

**Tadaima**: "I've come home" or "I've returned from a journey"

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who reviewed this story as it was posted, and especially to Ginny, aka **kokoronagomu**, for beta-reading and her excellent story questions. You saved me from making logic and continuity errors several times, and embarrassing typos a lot of the time!


	38. Epilogue

**1: The Long Way Home**

No sooner had Kagome's cheerful farewell wave and Inuyasha's scowl vanished from Ed's sight, when he felt the first violent jerk on his ankle. In its wake came a cold that numbed his skin, and made his bones ache.

He fell, screaming, into platinum light that seared his eyes, his skin, his brain, as dozens of tiny grasping hands dug into his flesh, clawing, and pinching. He struggled blindly, kicking, flailing.

His automail grew icy, leaving searing pain where the metal was fastened to his flesh and bone at thigh and shoulder.

For each hand that he managed to heave off, two more seemed to take its place.

This felt nothing like the gentle drifting that had accompanied his jaunt to Japan's past. And it felt _exactly_ like his previous trips through the Gate.

_It_ _worked this time. It really worked this time!_ he thought even as he fought against the unseen forces that were trying to tear him limb-from-limb. That thought was immediately followed by panicked desperation as he realized he was alone.

_Where's Al? _He struggled for breath, trying to squint through the light that surrounded and obscured. _Where's my brother?_

"Al! AL?" he screamed, but the light devoured even his voice.

He was still trying to peer into the heart of the sun when he lost consciousness.

oo0oo

Ed woke up to a pounding headache, and an all-over bruised kind of feeling, as if he'd been tromped on, repeatedly, by hooligans wearing boots. Really _big_ boots.

"Brother?" A fragment of the nightmarish trip through the Gate returned, and Ed forced his eyes open, confirming that Al was really there.

His younger brother was crouched over him, his brow creased with concern. He shook Ed roughly. "Brother, wake up!"

"Mmmphglarg," Ed said, as brightly as he could, and tried to sit up. Every single muscle in his body screamed in protest. _Ouch. Fuck_.

Al handed him a small tin canteen, a souvenir, courtesy of the Japanese Imperial Army.

Ed gratefully swallowed a mouthful of tepid water, which helped unstick his parched tongue from the roof of his mouth, and generally lubricated things in his throat. He tried speech again. "Did we make it?"

Al looked around. They were in some kind of meadow, with forest all around. "I don't know. Brother, this doesn't _look_ like Amestris."

Ed was forced to agree...in fact, minus the Bone-eater's Well in the middle of the meadow, this looked an awful lot like Inuyasha's Forest. Had they been sent back into Japan's past...again?

And without the jewel or Envy, how would they get away this time? He groaned

"Fuck."

For once, Al didn't reprimand him for his language. "Yes."

There was rustling in the undergrowth nearby, and then soldiers clad in unfamiliar uniforms stepped out into the meadow. They were carrying rifles, which they raised and aimed at Ed and Al as soon as they spotted the two of them.

One of them barked a question at Ed, who shook his head in mute incomprehension. _Okay, they're not Japanese. I guess that's good news..._

The soldiers advanced, rifles still pointing in their direction.

Even if they hadn't ended up in Amestris, maybe they'd still managed to cross through to their home world, Ed thought. And if that was true, then alchemy would work here.

_Okay, it's now or never..._

He pictured the transmutation circle that he needed, and clapped.

Energy--sweet, singing, powerful energy--flowed through him, and matter bent to his bidding. _Yessss!_

A huge stone wall rose out of the earth like a slumbering dragon awakened, shedding clumps of grass and clods of dirt as it reared high, hiding the advancing soldiers from Ed and Al.

"Run!" Ed shouted, and Al obeyed without question.

They plunged into the trees on the other side of the meadow, and kept going until they were sure they'd shaken their pursuers.

"Brother--what--?" Al panted, when they finally dropped behind the shelter of a giant fallen log to rest.

Ed grinned at him. "I don't know exactly where we are, Al, but we're home again! And since we can use alchemy again, we're fucking unstoppable!"

Al looked skeptical. "But those men--those uniforms--"

"If that world and ours share the same geography, then it makes sense that we're still kind of in the same place, even after crossing through the Gate. And if that's true, then we must be somewhere off the coast of Xing right now."

Al blinked. "That's still on the other side of the world from home, Brother."

"C'mon, Al, where's your sense of adventure?" Ed asked enthusiastically. It was all coming clear to him now. "All we have to do is get to a harbor, and find a ship bound for Amestris. You'll see--it'll be easy!" Ed finished. He rose to his feet, and brushed dead leaves and twigs from the seat of his trousers. "You coming?"

"Of course, Brother." Al rose, too. "And while we're walking, perhaps we can discuss how we're going to come up with the fare for the ship."

Ed grinned. "Fucking unstoppable, right? I bet it's not against the law here to alchemize gold..."

**2: Pandora's Box**

"Captain Ikeda, er, perhaps you should wait to open that cage," Officer Shin Masumoto said, nervously eyeing the long metal box currently taking up most of the space on the conference table.

The branch of the _Tokubetsu Koutou Keisatsu_known as the Sons of the Dragon had their own headquarters in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo, in a modest brick building located next door to a business that specialized in preserved fish. As a result, the Tokkou's offices always smelled of soy sauce and anchovies, which Matsumoto found oddly comforting.

Ikeda and half his squad were currently assembled in one of the basement rooms, normally reserved for interrogating prisoners.

Ikeda's lips thinned with displeasure. "What did you say?" he snapped.

Matsumoto looked around at his two fellow officers, both of whom had been with Ikeda and Matsumoto at the Sunset Shrine. Neither of them looked happy, but none of them would meet his eye, either.

_I guess I'm the only one brave--or stupid enough--to speak up__, _thought Matsumoto.

He gulped, and came to attention under Ikeda's glare. "I was thinking, sir, that it might be more prudent to wait until the others arrive. With only the four of us, I'm not sure our revolvers will be enough to stop the youkai if it esc--"

"Shut up!" Ikeda's face reddened. "Are you implying that I, who managed to transport from Germany a dragon _ten times_ the size of this pathetic substitute, cannot handle one measly _snake?_"

Maybe Ikeda had handled a German dragon by himself, but Matsumoto had just this afternoon witnessed how it had taken an _inu-gami_ to control the beast currently in Ikeda's possession.

Matsumoto had grown up hearing cautionary folktales about the havoc wrought by gifts from spirits. Even the well-intentioned ones often proved double-edged, and the inu-gami at the Sunset Shrine had not seemed particularly...friendly or well-intentioned towards the police.

Matsumoto had considered himself a skeptical man when it came to ghosts, demons, or spirits, but that was _before_ he had seen a real, live spirit being.

Yeah, all things considered, opening this gift seemed like an extremely _bad_ idea. He wondered why Ikeda seemed oblivious.

"No, sir," Matsumoto said, knowing it was futile, but knowing he had to at least try to dissuade his superior. "But, just to be on the safe side, we should--"

"Fool!" spat Ikeda. "Coward!"

As if Matsumoto's cautionary words had goaded him, Ikeda reached for the box's intricate latch, and fumbled with it.

The beast within made a sound somewhere between a hiss and growl, and threw itself against its prison, making the long metal box jump and quiver on the table.

Ikeda flinched, then, his face reddening, he tackled the latch with renewed ferocity.

He finally succeeded in opening the box, and the next few minutes passed in a gory blur.

Afterwards, Matsumoto could never recall the exact sequence of events--and that was probably a mercy--but a few images remained indelibly imprinted into his memory:

The frilled serpent exploding out of the box, and engulfing Ikeda's head in a single huge gulp and crunch of jagged teeth.

Fukuda screaming as the beast turned on him next, yellow-green venom mingled with the blood dripping from its mouth, and how the beast's movements painted the floor with streaks of Fukuda's blood like grotesque calligraphic strokes of ink.

The deafening _pop-pop-pop_ of rapid gunfire as Matsumoto raised his gun, and squeezed the trigger again and again.

Himegawa throwing down his weapon and scrambling for the door, slipping and skidding in the gory mess on the tiled floor. The serpent launching itself, quick as a lightning strike, and bringing him down with fangs sunk deep into Himegawa's shoulder.

Matsumoto aimed and shot, and like something out of a nightmare, the bullets _bounced_ off that scaly hide.

The screaming--_oh, gods, the screaming_--as the beast's poison began to dissolve Himegawa's flesh, silenced only when the serpent shifted its grip to his throat and tore it out.

And, finally, the sight of the beast's left eye exploding into blood and bits of jelly as Matsumoto's last bullet found a vulnerable spot.

It shrieked, writhed convulsively for a few seconds, then stilled.

Fukuda gave one last wheezing moan, and lay still, his wounds still smoking where the youkai's fangs had penetrated.

Shaking, Matsumoto reloaded his gun, and then ran to Fukuda's aid. Ikeda and Himegawa were both very messily dead, but maybe Fukuda--

_No pulse, no breath. Too late._

Matsumoto rose shakily to his feet, his heart pounding madly with the after-effects of the battle.

Averting his eyes from the corpses of the three men he had known and worked with for years, he warily studied the remains of the youkai.

Was it _really_ dead, or just waiting for a chance to ambush him?

After what felt like a long time of staring at the beast, Matsumoto concluded that it was probably dead, after all.

What should he do now? Dispose of it?

It was hard to think around the voice in his head chanting _oh shit oh shit oh shit._ His head hurt, his temples pounding in time with his heartbeat, and his stomach was roiling uneasily.

He didn't want to touch it.

He stared at the beast's scaly length, with its gaudily-colored frills and long fangs, and shuddered. The smell of blood mingled with the sharp smoke of discharged weapons and something musky and caustic that clung to the lining of Matsumoto's throat.

Let someone else take care of this mess. Ikeda's superiors would probably want to preserve the youkai's corpse for propaganda reasons.

_A taxidermist could probably work wonders in creating a mascot for this police division,_ Matsumoto thought, and had to stifle hysterical giggles. _Then no one could say that Ikeda had died in vain._

As for himself--he was done.

Done with the Special Higher Police, and done with the Sons of the Dragon.

Never mind what Gramps had told him about his glorious ancestor, a samurai who had served the Great Dragon at Kasama Castle in the days before the shogunate.

The life of a traffic cop sounded just dandy to him right now.

With shaking hands, Officer Matsumoto gently closed the door of the blood-spattered basement room behind him, and staggered upstairs to notify the necessary authorities.

**3: Full Circle**

Souta Higurashi floated in a timeless place. It was dark and very cold. Then an odd ripple that passed through him, as if Souta had become one with the icy water, and the dark waters receded.

Consciousness returned.

Souta opened his eyes slowly, feeling the world spinning gently around him.

He was drunk, he decided, closing his eyes again. Had he been at that campus _izakaya_ with Professor Tozen again?

But oddly enough, he couldn't remember drinking anything...and what on earth was he doing at the bottom of the Bone-eater's Well?

_A boy with fangs and dog-ears. Slippery mud and castle filled with youkai. The dragon. And fire... _

_Fire. _

Memory returned to him, and his eyes flew open. Since he was already lying on his back, it took no effort at all to look up.

There was a roof high overhead. Souta gave a deep sigh of relief as he realized that he'd been returned home, to the Sunset Shrine.

Did that mean that all the rest of it--the journey, the youkai and the hanyou, the alchemy--had just been a vivid dream?

Souta squinted up through the dimness. Something wasn't quite right….

Then it came to him: the ceiling looked _old_, red paint flaking away from the beams and grimy cobwebs creating fuzzy shadows in the spaces between the beams.

_But we just rebuilt the well-house a few months ago,_ he thought, dizzily. _It shouldn't look this decrepit already…._

The well had the power to transport people through time. Had he accidentally been sent to Kagome's time, fifty-odd years in his future?

Souta sat up, and studied his surroundings more closely. A twig broom and a dustpan lay next to him, as if he'd carelessly dropped them, and a tall ladder carefully balanced against the curved inner wall of the well

He frowned, feeling the first stirrings of alarm. Hadn't he been home, cleaning out the Bone-eater's Well on _that_ morning...?

The well had the power to transport people through time…forwards and backwards.

_Is it…? Can it be…?_

He had to see!

Souta propelled himself to his feet and scrambled up the ladder in a desperate hurry, then pushed open the sliding door that led out of the well-house. The door slammed into the frame with enough force to shake the entire structure.

He ran up to the shrine's main courtyard, and looked around. All the old buildings from before the quake are still standing.

The sun was concealed by a heavy cloud cover, and there was a strong wind sending leaves swirling through the courtyard. As Souta stood gaping, he heard Kaoru and Yoshi arguing over whose turn it was to scrub and refill the purification basin.

The delicious smell of sautéed onions and chicken hit his nose, and it was suddenly difficult to breathe--he felt as if his suit had shrunk two sizes and his heartbeat began to pound heavily in his ears.

Old shrine buildings…wind and clouds from a typhoon over Tokyo Bay… déjà-vu.

It was September 1, 1924, and Souta had just been given a second chance.

He turned and ran for the house, sparing a glance in passing for the storage shed on the far side of the courtyard, which showed sign of the reinforcements that the Tokkou had added for the dragon currently chained inside.

His house looked just as he remembered it on the morning of that fateful day.

Souta's fingers were trembling as he raised the latch to the gate that separated their private garden from the shrine grounds.

_Can it be...? Is she...?_

"Akiko!"

Without taking off his shoes, he ran to the back of the house, where the kitchen was, and pounded inside

His heart gave a mighty leap as he saw Akiko--_alive! Oh, gods, alive!_--her kimono sleeves tied back, bent over the charcoal stove in the tiny tiled kitchen, vigorously stirring a pan of frying vegetables.

She looked up, startled, as he burst in. "Dear, what are you--"

"Akiko-san, get out of the house! NOW!"

Not giving her time to reply, he grabbed her hand, and dragged her out behind him.

"But--but the food will burn--" She tried to pull away from him, but he only tightened his grip.

She stumbled in his wake down the hall, nearly falling as he yanked her through the doorway with frantic haste, her soft house-slippers catching in the door-sill. Without pausing, he spun, caught her around the waist, and carried her all the way out of the garden.

Panting, he finally came to a halt in the relative safety of the center of the courtyard, away from the largest structures.

"What in the world is going on, dear?" Akiko asked, when they stopped their mad dash. Her confusion was plain. "Are you all right?"

"There's an earthquake coming--" Souta began to say, and then put his arms around her, holding on her with desperate strength.

He found himself shaking with relief--and the terrible foreknowledge that there was _nothing_ he could do to save his parents from their fate.

Right now, they were on a train returning to Tokyo from visiting Akio in Kyoto. In a short while, when the train was passing through a small village west of Odawara, a collapsing mountainside would push the entire train into the sea, along with the village itself.

But Akiko...gods, Akiko was out of the house. She would _not_ be crushed when the roof collapsed. She would _not _burn in the coming fire. She was safe…

He held on to her as a deep rumbling vibrated through his bones, and the earth began to roll and shake.

And, just as he remembered, the house shuddered and crumpled in a mass of splintered wood and roof-tiles, followed a moment later by the shrine's main hall. There was a deafening sound as if all the crockery in the world was being shattered.

Akiko's fingers dug into his waist as the shaking went on and on, and he clung to her in turn, smelling her sandalwood perfume, unable to believe that she was _here_, in his arms, and _safe_.

_Alive. _

"H-how did you know?" she asked, when the ground finally stopped moving, and they had waited through the period of breathless silence in the aftermath of the quake.

He grinned, a bit manically, and not caring in the least that they were standing out in the open, where anyone might see them, he bent and kissed her thoroughly.

"It was a gift from the spirits of this shrine," he said, his voice thick with tears of joy.

She returned his kiss, jumping a little as another building collapsed somewhere nearby. In the distances, sirens began to wail, and the shifting wind brought the strong smell of smoke.

They separated only when Kaoru and Yoshi came running up, looking a bit scratched up, but otherwise all right.

"Onii-san, all the houses in the neighborhood fell down!" Kaoru reported.

Yoshi looked around the courtyard, and his mouth dropped open in awe.

"That--that's your dragon, isn't it?" he breathed, pointing at a patch of green-scaled hide revealed by a break in the storage shed's wall.

_Ah. I'd almost forgotten about the dragon._

_Now what do I do? _

Souta took a deep breath, calming himself, forcing himself to think through the possibilities with methodical logic. _If I don't release the dragon, then I'll avoid all the unpleasantness to come with Ikeda and the Tokkou._

_But, then again, what will happen to Kagome, Alphonse, and Edward? _

_Am I such a coward? _

Souta looked at Akiko, who had taken charge of the two excited boys. Akiko, who had been restored to him through a miracle.

And he came to a decision.

Steeling himself to meet his destiny, Souta walked towards the damaged shed that housed the dragon.

He would release the dragon, and open the Bone-eater's Well for it.

_Edward-san, Alphonse-kun, Kagome-chan—I'm looking forward to meeting you all again. I'll make different choices this time, and make sure I return home safely, because Akiko will be waiting for me there. _

_I've changed fate once. I'm sure I can do it again._

**The End**

_**Historical and Canon Notes for This Chapter:**_

The Japanese_Tokubetsu Koutou Keisatsu_(Special Higher Police), also known as _Tokkou,_was roughly equivalent to the FBI in the US, but with a much more anti-democratic flavor. It was established in 1911, specifically to investigate and control political groups and ideologies deemed to be a threat to the public order. The splinter group mentioned in this chapter, Sons of the Dragon, is entirely my own invention.'

The great Kanto earthquake was a real event, estimated to have been as strong as 8.4 on the Richter scale. Coinciding with a typhoon over Tokyo Bay, the quake and subsequent firestorms destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama, and killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Using poetic license, I've shifted the date of the quake by a year: from Sept.1, 1923 to Sept. 1, 1924, so that it occurs after the events in the _Fullmetal Alchemist_ movie.

**inu-gami**: dog-spirit. A minor deity, often bound to a particular person as a guardian.

**Izakaya**: a Japanese pub, serving drinks and small-plates snacks.


End file.
